- Date
- July 28, 2001, 18:40 local (Jul 29, 2001, 02:40 UTC)
- Place
- Bethel, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6893BPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 3, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20010728039909A
- Case key
- 53212
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing. A factor associated with the accident was a crosswind.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The certificated commerical pilot, with one passenger aboard, was landing to the northwest, which required a correction for a strong left crosswind. As the airplane touched down, it bounced, and he added full engine power to abort the landing. The airplane veered to the right, went off the right side of the runway, and the right wing struck a stand of trees. The airplane rolled down an embankment, and sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On July 28, 2001, about 1840 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N6893B, sustained substantial damage while landing at an off airport site located about 45 miles east of Bethel, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The certificated private pilot, and the one passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on July 28, the pilot reported that he was landing to the northwest, which required a correction for a strong left crosswind. He said that he bounced the landing, then added full engine power to abort the landing. The airplane veered to the right, went off the right side of the runway, and the right wing struck a stand of trees. The airplane rolled down an embankment, and sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, and empennage.
The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6893B
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-5083
- Airframe hours
- 2,393
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Douglas G. Bue
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 5, 2001 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- BET · Bethel, AK
- Destination
- AK
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- April 13, 2001
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,169 total · 650 in this make and model · 1,138 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.