- Date
- July 20, 2012, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N53977Bellanca 7GCBC
- Defining event
- Takeoff-rejected takeoff: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-03
- FAA report
- 20120720017409A
- Case key
- 84393
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 flight instructor's and student pilot's excessive application of brakes during an aborted takeoff, which resulted in a noseover.
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 flight instructor and pilot-rated student were practicing off-airport landings and takeoffs in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. After landing on a gravel bar, the instructor and student surveyed the takeoff area on foot. During the subsequent takeoff run, the airplane was not accelerating as hoped, and, just prior to the abort point, the instructor told the student to abort the takeoff. The instructor joined the student pilot on the controls. During the attempt to stop the airplane, the brakes were applied too heavily, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor and pilot-rated student were practicing off-airport landings and takeoffs in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. After landing on a gravel bar, the instructor and student surveyed the takeoff area on foot. During the subsequent takeoff run the airplane was not accelerating as hoped, and just prior to the abort point, the instructor told the student to abort the takeoff. The instructor joined the student pilot on the controls. During the attempt to stop the airplane the brakes were applied too heavily, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane received substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53977
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 921-76
- Airframe hours
- 2,524
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Above Alaska Aviation, LLC, doing business as Above Alaska Aviation
- Registered owner
- Aspenglow LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 8, 2012
- Departed
- PATK · Talkeetna, AK
- Destination
- Talkeetna, AK
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 3, 2011
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 320 total · 22 in this make and model · 282 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 6, 2011
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,543 total · 146 in this make and model · 1,493 as pilot in command · 350 in the last 90 days · 119 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 20, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 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.