- Date
- May 28, 2006, 16:00 local (May 29, 2006, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wasilla, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2945MPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20060528010419A
- Case key
- 63773
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 inadequate compensation for a tailwind during the landing flare, which resulted in an in-flight collision with snow-covered terrain during an aborted landing. Factors contributing to the accident were a tailwind and rising terrain.
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 commercial certificated pilot was landing at a remote site on a CFR Part 91 personal flight. His intended landing area was about 600 feet long and 70 feet wide, and consisted of slightly rising grass-covered terrain. Areas of snow were along the left side of the landing area. The pilot said the wind conditions were calm during the approach, but as he flared for the touch down, a quartering tailwind resulted in a slight bounce. He added full engine power to abort the landing, but the airplane settled to the ground once again, collided with an area of snow along the left side, and nosed over. The airplane received structural damage to the left wing, both wing lift struts, and the rudder.
Factual narrative
The commercial certificated pilot was landing at a remote site on a CFR Part 91 personal flight. His intended landing area was about 600 feet long and 70 feet wide, and consisted of slightly rising grass-covered terrain. Areas of snow were along the left side of the landing area. The pilot said the wind conditions were calm during the approach, but as he flared for the touch down, a quartering tailwind resulted in a slight bounce. He added full engine power to abort the landing, but the airplane settled to the ground once again, collided with an area of snow along the left side, and nosed over. The airplane received structural damage to the left wing, both wing lift struts, and the rudder.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2945M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-1344
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robbie D. Speer
- Registered owner
- Robbie D. Speer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Wasilla, 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 7,200 total · 59 in this make and model
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.
Other investigations on N2945M · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.