- Date
- April 11, 2004, 08:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1755PPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA, FSDO-01
- FAA report
- 20040411005379A
- Case key
- 59048
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 loss of directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in the airplane entering deep snow alongside the runway, and 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 student pilot lost directional control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane during the landing roll of a touch and go landing. The airplane veered off the runway into the snow and nosed over. The airplane sustained damage to the rudder, left wing, nose, and propeller.
Factual narrative
On April 11, 2004, about 0800 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N1755P, sustained substantial damage following a loss of control during the landing roll, and subsequent nose over at the Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska. The solo student pilot was not injured. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal local flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on April 11, the pilot said he was distracted by a radio call from the tower while on downwind for landing. He said the tower advised he was cleared to land, and issued a wake turbulence caution for a departing jet airplane. He said after touchdown, he overcorrected for drift, and may have applied too much power. The airplane subsequently exited the runway to the right, and traversed deep snow on the side of the runway for about 20 yards before it nosed over. The pilot said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. He said the airplane received damage to the rudder, left wing, nose, and propeller.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1755P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-4075
- Airframe hours
- 3,673
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edgar Bryan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 2, 2003 · 92 hours before
- Departed
- FAI · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- FAI
- Airport
- FAI · Fairbanks International, runway 19L, 6,500 × 100 ft, concrete
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 55 total · 49 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 23 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.34 inHg
- Observed at
- FAI
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 N1755P · 6
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.