- Date
- June 16, 2012, 17:00 local (Jun 17, 2012, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Skwentna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N9488DPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20120616013259A
- Case key
- 84026
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for taxi.
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 landed the tailwheel-equipped airplane at a private airstrip. While taxiing to park, the right wheel dropped into a hidden, vegetation-covered, deep hole alongside the runway. The airplane then spun around, sustaining substantial damage to the empennage and left elevator. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot landed the tailwheel-equipped airplane at a private airstrip. While taxiing to parking, the right wheel dropped into a hidden, vegetation covered, deep hole, alongside the runway. The airplane spun around, sustaining substantial damage to the empennage, and left elevator. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9488D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-6740
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 Series, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Beck Joseph S
- Registered owner
- Beck Joseph S
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Wasilla, AK
- Destination
- Skwentna, AK
- Airport
- PVT · Shell Lake Airstrip, runway 15, 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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 28, 2011
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,150 total · 1,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 27, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 697 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 N9488D · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.