- Date
- June 13, 2002, 08:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1888APiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 1, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA-AL-FAI FSDO 01
- FAA report
- 20020613011529A
- Case key
- 54935
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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll, which resulted in the right wing striking the ground.
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 solo student pilot was landing the tundra tire-equipped airplane on a paved runway (runway 19L). The student's flight instructor was observing the flight from the ground. The student made a three-point landing, but upon touchdown, the airplane veered to the left as the right wing and right wheel came off the ground. The student applied right aileron, and the airplane slammed down on the right wheel. The right wheel landing gear strut buckled, and the right wing struck the ground. The right wing was bent upward at the right wing lift strut attach point. The student had accrued 46 total hours. At the time of the accident, the wind conditions at the airport were 120 degrees (true) at 4 knots.
Factual narrative
On June 13, 2002, about 0815 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N1888A, sustained substantial damage when the right wing struck the ground during the landing roll at the Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area instructional flight when the accident occurred. The solo student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Fairbanks airport about 0800.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on June 13, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, Fairbanks Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), reported that the student was landing on runway 19L. The student's flight instructor was observing the flight from the ground. The inspector said the student made a three-point landing, but upon touchdown, the airplane veered to the left as the right wing and right wheel came off the ground. The student applied right aileron, and the airplane slammed down on the right wheel. The right wheel landing gear strut buckled, and the right wing struck the ground. The right wing was bent upward at the right wing lift strut attach point.
The inspector reported that during his conversation with the student, the student pilot said a five knot crosswind from the east was present during the landing. The student had accrued 46 total flight hours.
At 0753, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) at Fairbanks was reporting, in part: Wind, 120 degrees (true) at 4 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, few at 6,000 feet, 8,000 feet broken, 12,000 feet overcast; temperature, 52 degrees F; dew point, 48 degrees F; altimeter, 30.28 inHg.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1888A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-1718
- Airframe hours
- 6,355
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Uriah Strong
- Registered owner
- Charles L. Gray
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 10, 2001 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- PAFA · Fairbanks, AK
- Airport
- PAFA · Fairbanks International, runway 19L, 2,640 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 46 total · 36 in this make and model · 10 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 36 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- May 11, 2002
- Flight hours
- 8,885 total · 4,200 in this make and model · 8,750 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 94° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.28 inHg
- Observed at
- PAFA
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 6, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 591 KB in all.
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 N1888A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.