20230225001929I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-18-150 · Anchorage, AK · February 25, 2023

Date
February 25, 2023 · 13:38 local
Place
Anchorage, AK
Airport
Merrill Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N74935
Reported as
Piper PA-18-150
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,470 total930 in this make and model5 in the last 90 days

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 accident pilot was attempting to land on runway 25 at mri on the 25th of February when he lost control of the aircraft after touchdown and a slight bounce. The aircraft veered to the right near taxiway hotel and tipped up on its nose into a snowbank. The aircraft received minor damage and the pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft was uninjured.

The accident pilot stated he was attempting to perform a touch-and-go landing to be followed by a departure from the mri airspace due to heavy traffic congestion in the area. He said he felt under pressure to perform the touch-and-go quickly and that heavy radio traffic prevented him from obtaining clarification of instructions from the control tower. He stated that in his haste to perform the touch-and-go landing, he simply got behind control of the airplane after touchdown and it entered a half ground loop before tipping up on its nose and striking the snowbank.

As the FAA filed it

THE ACCIDENT PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON RUNWAY 25 AT MRI ON THE 25TH OF FEBRUARY WHEN HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND A SLIGHT BOUNCE. THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT NEAR TAXIWAY HOTEL AND TIPPED UP ON ITS NOSE INTO A SNOWBANK. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE AND THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNINJURED.

THE ACCIDENT PILOT STATED HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO PERFORM A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING TO BE FOLLOWED BY A DEPARTURE FROM THE MRI AIRSPACE DUE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE AREA. HE SAID HE FELT UNDER PRESSURE TO PERFORM THE TOUCH-AND-GO QUICKLY AND THAT HEAVY RADIO TRAFFIC PREVENTED HIM FROM OBTAINING CLARIFICATION OF INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE CONTROL TOWER. HE STATED THAT IN HIS HASTE TO PERFORM THE TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING, HE SIMPLY GOT BEHIND CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND IT ENTERED A HALF GROUND LOOP BEFORE TIPPING UP ON ITS NOSE AND STRIKING THE SNOWBANK.