20130104000749A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-18-150 · Palmer, AK · January 4, 2013

Date: January 4, 2013 · 12:05 local
Place: Palmer, AK
Airport: Palmer
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N7780Y
NTSB investigation: NTSBANC13CA019
Reported as: Piper PA-18-150
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,800 total4,200 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N7780YRegistered now · Piper PA-18-150S/N 18-7886 · Built 1962 Airframe modelPiper PA-18-150 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The airman was conducting an off airport landing to a frozen, snow free lake. The aircraft was wheel/ski equipped. The airman elected to land with the skis up. Shortly after landing the aircraft encountered thin ice. The left wheel broke through into five inches of water covering thick ice (over flow), ground looped, and stopped. The airman then lowered the skis and taxied out of the overflow to solid ice along the lake?s shoreline.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRMAN WAS CONDUCTING AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING TO A FROZEN, SNOW FREE LAKE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS WHEEL/SKI EQUIPPED. THE AIRMAN ELECTED TO LAND WITH THE SKIS UP. SHORTLY AFTER LANDING THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED THIN ICE. THE LEFT WHEEL BROKE THROUGH INTO FIVE INCHES OF WATER COVERING THICK ICE (OVER FLOW), GROUND LOOPED, AND STOPPED. THE AIRMAN THEN LOWERED THE SKIS AND TAXIED OUT OF THE OVERFLOW TO SOLID ICE ALONG THE LAKE?S SHORELINE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ANC13CA019Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportPalmer, AKThe pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for an off-airport landing, which resulted in a ground-loop.Jan 4, 2013 · Substantial damage