- Date
- June 6, 2009, 11:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7796YPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090606047249A
- Case key
- 73984
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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed on final approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and hard landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The commercial pilot was on a passenger flight to an off-airport site when, during final approach to land, he allowed the airspeed to get too low and the airplane started to stall. He said that he initiated a stall recovery, but that the airplane landed hard and the main landing gear collapsed. The pilot said that there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The left wing spar was damaged in the accident.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot was on a passenger flight to an off-airport site under Title 14, CFR Part 135. The pilot said during final approach to land he allowed the airspeed to get too low, and the airplane started to stall. He said he initiated a stall recovery, but the airplane landed hard, and the main landing gear collapsed. The pilot said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. He said the left wing spar was damaged in the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7796Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8409
- Airframe hours
- 4,051
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Wiederkehr William D, doing business as Wiederkehr Air Inc.
- Registered owner
- Wiederkehr William D
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 12, 2008
- Departed
- PATK · Talkeetna, AK
- Destination
- Talkeetna, 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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 4, 2008
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 13,650 total · 13,000 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 621 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.