ANC06LA068

The commercial pilot was conducting an off-airport landing under Title 14, CFR Part 91, in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. He said during the landing roll the airplane transitioned from an area of powdery sand to rocks, and the nose pitched down. The pilot reported that he "had insufficient aft stick to stop the nose down pitch." The airplane nosed over, damaging the fuselage, wings, and lift struts. The pilot said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.

On June 13, 2006, about 0945 Alaska daylight time, a tailwheel-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N1325A, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over while landing on a gravel bar, about 20 miles southwest of Palmer, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. 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 June 15, the pilot said while landing on a gravel bar, he was braking through a low, dry, powdery spot, when the wheels rolled into a rocky area, and the airplane started to pitch nose down. The pilot reported he did not have enough "aft stick" to stop the downward pitch, and the airplane nosed over. He reported that there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The pilot stated the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and lift-struts during the accident.