- Date
- August 12, 2011, 16:45 local (Aug 13, 2011, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Coldfoot, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1258CPiper PA-18-135
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110812018839A
- Case key
- 81492
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 inadvertent application of the right brake pedal during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over.
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 was landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane with a 4- to 5-knot quartering tailwind at a remote off-airport site. The pilot said that during the landing roll the airplane veered slightly to the left and he applied right rudder to correct the veer. As he depressed the right rudder pedal, the airplane abruptly nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and wing lift struts. The pilot suspects that he inadvertently depressed the right brake pedal when he applied right rudder and noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing at a remote off-airport site in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, which required a correction for a 4 to 5 knot quartering tailwind. The pilot said during the landing roll, the airplane veered slightly to the left, and he applied right rudder to correct the veer. As he depressed the right rudder pedal, the airplane abruptly nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and wing lift struts. The pilot reported that he suspects he inadvertently depressed the right brake pedal when he applied right rudder, and noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1258C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-2497
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Scenic Mountain Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- James R. Craig
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Coldfoot, AK
- Destination
- Coldfoot, AK
- Airport
- runway 06, grass/turf
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
- 64
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 7,800 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 131 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 4, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 510 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 N1258C · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.