- Date
- August 12, 2012, 17:30 local (Aug 13, 2012, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N37WPPiper PA-18
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Miscellaneous/other
- 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
- 20120812018039A
- Case key
- 84637
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 passenger's inadvertent application of the brake pedals during landing, 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 pilot was landing on a gravel airstrip, and the airplane bounced during touchdown. When it touched down again, the pilot began to apply the brakes, and, as expected, the tail of the airplane began to rise slightly. The rear seat passenger did not realize that this condition was normal and braced his feet against the rudder pedals, which applied increased brake pressure. The airplane nosed over resulting in substantial damage to the rudder, vertical stabilizer, and wing lift struts.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing on a gravel airstrip, and the airplane bounced during touchdown. When it touched down again, the pilot began to apply the brakes, and as expected, the tail of the airplane began to rise slightly. The rear seat passenger did not realize that this condition was normal, and braced his feet against the rudder pedals, which applied increased brake pressure. The airplane nosed over resulting in substantial damage to the rudder, vertical stabilizer, and wing lift struts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N37WP
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-756
- Airframe hours
- 5,419
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Russell S Badowski
- Registered owner
- Russell S Badowski
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 30, 2012
- Departed
- PASP · Sheep Mountain, AK
- Destination
- AA06 · Anchorage, AK
- Airport
- AA06 · Sixmile Lake, runway 09, 1,000 × 20 ft, gravel
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
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 31, 2012
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 220 in this make and model · 1,750 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- PAED, 2 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 23, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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 N37WP · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.