- Date
- July 3, 2012, 00:30 local (08:30 UTC)
- Place
- Illiamna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8889DPiper PA-18A 150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-03
- FAA report
- 20120703013329A
- Case key
- 84202
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, which resulted in a loss of control.
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 a tailwheel-equipped airplane on a lighted, paved, dry runway at dusk, when he inadvertently bounced the airplane during initial touchdown. He applied remedial control inputs, but he overcorrected, and, upon touching down again, the airplane swerved to the right. He added engine power to abort the landing, but the airplane ground looped to the right and hit a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and left elevator. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane on a lighted, paved, dry runway, at dusk, when he inadvertently bounced during initial touchdown. He applied remedial control inputs, but he overcorrected, and upon touching down again, the airplane swerved to the right. He added engine power to abort the landing, but the airplane ground looped to the right, and hit a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and left elevator. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8889D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18A 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-6358
- Airframe hours
- 3,900
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 6, 2012
- Departed
- PAIG · Igiugig, AK
- Destination
- PAIL · Illiamna, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PAIL · Iliamna, runway 07, 5,086 × 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
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 31, 2012
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 664 total · 51 in this make and model · 480 as pilot in command · 101 in the last 90 days · 37 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 8, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 MB 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 N8889D · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.