- Date
- August 18, 2001, 16:30 local (Aug 19, 2001, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9963QPiper PA-18-135
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20010818036269A
- Case key
- 54925
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 excessive use of brakes during the landing roll.
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 airline transport pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane at remote off airport site. In a written statement to the NTSB, the pilot wrote: "During transition from landing rollout to taxi, I used too much braking for conditions. Airplane went up on its nose, then gently over onto its back." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, and left wing lift strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On August 18, 2001, about 1630 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Piper PA-18-135 airplane, N9963Q, received substantial damage while landing at an off airport site about 18 miles southeast of Palmer, Alaska, at the base of the Kink Glacier. The solo airline transport certificated pilot was not injured. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Sky Ranch Airstrip, Palmer, about 1300.
In a written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge dated September 11, the pilot wrote: "During transition from landing rollout to taxi, I used too much braking for conditions. Airplane went up on its nose, then gently over onto its back." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, and left wing lift strut.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9963Q
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-3950
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Darrell D. Jelle
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- AK50 · Palmer, AK
- Destination
- AK50 · Palmer, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- March 20, 2001
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 15,270 total · 80 in this make and model · 8,343 as pilot in command · 1,194 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Temperature
- 140 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9963Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.