- Date
- August 31, 2012, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Aniak, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3615MPiper PA-12
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Anchorage FSDO – Airworthiness
- FAA report
- 20120831019839A
- Case key
- 84953
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 excessive use of brakes during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose over.
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 at a 900-foot-long, remote off-airport site in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. He said that during the landing roll, the airplane veered slightly to the right, and then it went down a small embankment. The pilot said he inadvertently applied heavy braking, both wheels "locked," and the airplane subsequently nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and wing lift struts. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing at a 900-foot long, remote off-airport site, in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. He said during the landing roll, the airplane veered slightly to the right, and then it went down a small embankment. The pilot said he inadvertently applied heavy braking, and both wheels "locked" and the airplane subsequently nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and wing lift struts. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3615M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-2461
- Airframe hours
- 5,443
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lon P. Pogue
- Registered owner
- Michael W. Renfro
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 31, 2012 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- PANI · Aniak, AK
- Destination
- Aniak, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,400 total · 50 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 2, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.