- Date
- October 8, 2014, 18:00 local (Oct 9, 2014, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cordova, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N82448Piper PA 18-150
- Defining event
- Landing: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 5, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20141008020179A
- Case key
- 90246
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 pilots decision to land and failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing in gusty wind conditions.
Findings · 5
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 remote, off-airport site in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. He stated it was an area he was familiar with and was aware of the approaching weather. As he was about to land he said that a heavy rain shower was developing with gusty wind conditions. Just before landing a gust picked up his right wing which lowered his left wing into brush, causing the airplane to ground loop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and right wing tips, and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated in the recommendation section of the NTSB Accident Reporting Form 6120.1, that the accident could have been prevented if he had waited for the rain shower and wind conditions to decrease before landing.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing at a remote, off-airport site in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. He stated it was an area he was familiar with and was aware of the approaching weather. As he was about to land he said that a heavy rain shower was developing with gusty wind conditions. Just before landing a gust picked up his right wing which lowered his left wing into brush, causing the airplane to ground loop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and right wing tips, and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated in the recommendation section of the NTSB Accident Reporting Form 6120.1, that the accident could have been prevented if he had waited for the rain shower and wind conditions to decrease before landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82448
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18-150 (A150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7909099
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 10,063
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Fejes Guide Service Ltd
- Registered owner
- Fejes Guide Service Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 20, 2014
- Departed
- Tsiu Lodge, AK
- Destination
- Cordova, 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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 15, 2013
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 27,115 total · 15,990 in this make and model · 28,021 as pilot in command · 265 in the last 90 days · 128 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 25 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Turbulence
- Moderate
- Observed at
- PACY, 21 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 24, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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 N82448 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.