- Date
- August 6, 2003, 16:30 local (Aug 7, 2003, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Seward, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9668PPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20030806037409A
- Case key
- 57662
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 inadvertent water loop/swerve during landing roll, which resulted in the airplane nosing over.
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 airline transport certificated pilot was landing a float-equipped airplane in a remote, freshwater bay. The pilot reported that during the landing roll, he added a slight amount of left rudder to straighten the airplane's track on the water. The airplane subsequently cart-wheeled to the left, nosed over, and sank in shallow water. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On August 6, 2003, about 1630 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N9668P, sustained substantial damage when it cart-wheeled and nosed over during landing in a freshwater bay located on Montague Island, about 60 miles east of Seward, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo airline transport certificated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Eyak Lake Airport, Cordova, Alaska, about 1445, and a VFR flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 7, the pilot reported that he was landing in Patton Bay, located on the east side of Montague Island. He said he landed to the west, and during the landing roll, he added a slight amount of left rudder to straighten the airplane's track on the water. The airplane subsequently cart-wheeled to the left, nosed over, and sank in shallow water. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage.
According to the pilot there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9668P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7509-007
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 160 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Super Cub Partners, LLC.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CVD · Cordova, AK
- Destination
- SWD · Seward, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 8,500 total · 50 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.