- Date
- July 10, 2011, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gulkana, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2318MPiper PA-12
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-03
- FAA report
- 20110710012809A
- Case key
- 81085
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 recovery from a bounced 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 pilot reported that the tailwheel-equipped airplane bounced following a hard landing. He applied remedial control inputs, but upon touching down again, he lost directional control and the airplane ground-looped. The fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The private pilot reported that the tailwheel-equipped airplane bounced following a hard landing. He applied remedial control inputs, but upon touching down again, he lost directional control and the airplane ground-looped. He said there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident that would have contributed to the accident. The fuselage received substantial damage during the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2318M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-1385
- Airframe hours
- 3,110
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Patrick Martinez
- Registered owner
- Patrick Martinez
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 20, 2011
- Departed
- Z41 · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- PAGK · Gulkana, AK
- Airport
- PAGK · Gulkana, runway 15, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 30, 2011
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 260 total · 160 in this make and model · 170 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 15, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 314 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 N2318M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.