- Date
- July 3, 2009, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Homer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4299ZPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-aborted after touchdown: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 18, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-03
- Case key
- 82324
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 excessive airspeed during approach to compensate for turbulence, resulting in a hard landing and runway overrun.
Findings · 3
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 pilot was landing at an off-airport site surrounded by trees. The pilot stated that while on approach he increased his airspeed due to turbulence. The airplane landed hard and bounced. He added power to abort the landing, but realized that he could not climb over the trees at the end of the landing area and closed the engine throttle. As the airplane touched down again it continued off the end of the site and collided with brush. The pilot said that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane and that he should have used a slower approach airspeed or performed a go-around earlier in the landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar and aileron.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing at an off-airport site, which was surrounded by trees. The pilot stated that while on approach, he increased his approach airspeed due to turbulence. The airplane landed hard, and bounced. He added power to abort the landing, but realized he could not climb over the trees at the end of the landing area, and he closed the engine throttle. As the airplane touched down again it continued off the end of the site, and collided with brush. The pilot said there were no mechanical problems with the airplane, and that he should have used a slower approach airspeed or performed a go-around. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar and aileron.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4299Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8558
- Airframe hours
- 4,406
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kauffman Loren C
- Registered owner
- Kauffman Loren C
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 13, 2008
- Departed
- PAHO · Homer, AK
- Destination
- Homer, 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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2010
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,848 total · 4,350 in this make and model · 4,740 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 15 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 100 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- PAHO, 15 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 11, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 406 KB in all.
Other investigations on N4299Z · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.