- Date
- September 25, 2011, 17:30 local (Sep 26, 2011, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8998YPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-01
- FAA report
- 20110925027959A
- Case key
- 82468
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 student pilot's hard landing in a gusting wind.
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 solo student pilot was landing the float-equipped airplane on choppy water in a gusting wind. The airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The student pilot did not report any mechanical issues with the airplane prior to the accident, and he stated that he should not have flown in those conditions.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot was landing the float-equipped airplane on choppy water in a gusting wind. The airplane landed hard, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot did not report any mechanical issues with the airplane prior to the accident, and stated he should not have flown in those conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8998Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7509132
- Airframe hours
- 1,943
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Larry William G
- Registered owner
- Larry William G
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 2, 2011
- Departed
- AK28 · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- AK28 · Fairbanks, AK
- Airport
- AK28 · Chena Marina Seaplane, runway 36, 4,700 × 60 ft, water
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 273 total · 273 in this make and model · 273 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 11, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 651 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 N8998Y · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.