- Date
- March 28, 2002, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chickaloon, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5408YPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Anchorage FSDO
- Case key
- 54454
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The inadequate supervision of the student pilot by the instructor. Factors associated with the accident are the snow-covered runway and the loss of directional control by the student pilot.
Analysis
During a student training flight, the instructor and student overflew the accident airport, looking for a suitable landing area. The runway was snow-covered in some areas, and plowed in others. Snow berms of varying heights were present adjacent to the runway, and there were patches of ice on the runway. After a smooth landing the student lost directional control on an icy portion of the runway. The instructor took control but was unable to arrest the skid and the airplane's left wing struck the windsock pole. After the impact with the pole, the airplane spun to the left, and the right elevator struck a snow berm.
Factual narrative
On March 28, 2002, about 1500 Alaska standard time, a wheel-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N5408Y, sustained substantial damage during the landing roll at the Skelton Airstrip, about 35 miles northeast of Chickaloon, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the student pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) instructional flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The student pilot and the certificated flight instructor were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Palmer Municipal Airport, Palmer, Alaska, about 1100.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on April 1, the flight instructor said when she and the student flew over the Skelton airstrip, they discussed suitable landing sites. The runway had varying degrees of snow coverage, some areas appeared to have been plowed, and other areas had high snow berms. After discussing what they thought would be a suitable landing site, the student started the approach, landing to the west. The student landed the airplane on a section of the runway different from the section the instructor had expected, and the airplane skidded on the ice. The flight instructor took control of the airplane, but she was not able to control the skid. The left wing of the airplane struck the windsock pole. She said the student told her where he landed was where he thought they had agreed upon.
During a telephone conversation with the IIC on April 1, the student pilot's mechanic said both wing spars, and the tail of the airplane were damaged in the accident.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5408Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8171
- Airframe hours
- 3,858
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles S. Lee
- Registered owner
- Charles S. Lee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 4, 2002 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- PAAQ · Palmer Muni, AK
- Destination
- PAZK · Skelton, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- PAZK · Eureka Skelton, runway 21, 2,400 × 60 ft, gravel
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 20, 2002
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 9,600 total · 350 in this make and model · 9,300 as pilot in command · 115 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 69 total · 63 in this make and model · 30 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 10 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 24, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 544 KB in all.
Other investigations on N5408Y · 7
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.