- Date
- June 21, 2014, 01:15 local (09:15 UTC)
- Place
- Nenana, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4000ZPiper PA 18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report January 22, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20140621010199A
- Case key
- 89525
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 braking following his overshoot of the intended touchdown point on a short airstrip, which resulted in nose-over of the airplane. A contributing factor was the pilot's mental distraction during the landing.
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 stated that he circled the short, remote strip to determine the best wind for landing and, upon finding only light and variable winds, he decided to land to the east. He said that he missed his intended landing point by about 30 feet then cut the engine power and didn't retract the flaps. He said that the airplane's tail came up, and he relaxed the brakes, then the tail started to settle. He said that he then reapplied brakes, and the airplane nosed over. He estimated that he had about 100 feet of landing strip remaining ahead of the airplane at the spot where it nosed over. He noted that, during all of his previous landings at the remote strip, he had heavy baggage in the rear seat and cargo area of the airplane. He also noted that he was distracted with other things on his mind during the landing. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to rudder and vertical stabilizer and damage to wing ribs.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he circled the short, remote strip to determine the best wind for landing and, upon finding only light and variable winds, he decided to land to the east. He said that he missed his intended landing point by about 30 feet then cut the engine power and didn't retract the flaps. He said that the airplane's tail came up, and he relaxed the brakes, then the tail started to settle. He said that he then reapplied brakes, and the airplane nosed over. He estimated that he had about 100 feet of landing strip remaining ahead of the airplane at the spot where it nosed over. He noted that, during all of his previous landings at the remote strip, he had heavy baggage in the rear seat and cargo area of the airplane. He also noted that he was distracted with other things on his mind during the landing. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to rudder and vertical stabilizer and damage to wing ribs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4000Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7951
- Built
- 1963
- Airframe hours
- 2,647
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 10, 2013
- Departed
- MTF · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- Nenana, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 695 total · 129 in this make and model · 630 as pilot in command · 62 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.70 inHg
- Observed at
- PANN, 7 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 8, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 583 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.