- Date
- May 19, 2011, 22:45 local (May 20, 2011, 06:45 UTC)
- Place
- Coldfoot, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N9279DPiper PA-18A
- Defining event
- Taxi: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA Fairbanks FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110520015259A
- Case key
- 79170
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 control of the airplane while taxiing in gusty wind conditions.
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
During taxi, after an off-airport landing, the pilot stated that a wind gust caught the airplane from behind which resulted in the airplane nosing over and sustaining substantial damage to the right wing lift struts.
Factual narrative
During taxi, after an off-airport landing, the pilot stated that a wind gust from behind the airplane resulted in the airplane nosing over and sustaining damage to the right wing lift struts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9279D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-6582
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Salitan Erik R
- Registered owner
- Salitan Erik R
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Wiseman, AK
- Destination
- Bettles, 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
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 19, 2011
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 653 total · 65 in this make and model · 602 as pilot in command · 81 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 10 knots, gusting 15
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 545 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.
Other investigations on N9279D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.