- Date
- May 28, 2014, 13:09 local (21:09 UTC)
- Place
- Cordova, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8929LPiper PA 18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 7, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA - Juneau FSDO
- FAA report
- 20140528009769A
- Case key
- 89320
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 remedial action during landing on soft terrain, which resulted in a nose-over.
Findings · 4
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 said that he made low passes over the flat, tundra site to assess its suitability for landing. He said that, on the second pass, he touched the airplane's wheels down to verify that the surface was firm and then returned for landing. He said that, both visually and during the test-touch, the surface appeared to be "100 percent hard-surface tundra," and the vegetation appeared dry; however, during the end of the landing roll, when the airplane was traveling about 10 mph, the wheels sank into unexpectedly "mushy" ground, and the airplane slowly nosed over. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The rudder, strut, and wing rib sustained damage. The airplane was equipped with tundra tires. Photographs of the airplane at the accident site showed it inverted in a broad area of flat, grassy tundra, consistent with the pilot's description.
Factual narrative
The pilot said that he made low passes over the flat, tundra site to assess its suitability for landing. He said that, on the second pass, he touched the airplane's wheels down to verify that the surface was firm and then returned for landing. He said that both visually and during the test-touch, the surface appeared to be "100 percent hard-surface tundra," and the vegetation appeared dry; however, during the end of the landing roll, when the airplane was traveling about 10 mph, the wheels sank into unexpectedly "mushy" ground, and the airplane slowly nosed over. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. Damage to the airplane included rudder, strut, and wing rib damage. The airplane was equipped with tundra tires. Photographs of the airplane at the accident site showed it inverted in a broad area of flat, grassy tundra, consistent with the pilot's description.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8929L
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7409127
- Built
- 1974
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CKU · Cordova, AK
- Destination
- CDV · Cordova, AK
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- CDV
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 9, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 475 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.