- Date
- June 13, 2015, 14:54 local (22:54 UTC)
- Place
- McCarthy, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3897ZPiper PA 18-150
- Defining event
- Landing: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA Anchorage FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150613008859A
- Case key
- 91379
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 wheel brakes during landing, resulting in a nose over.
Findings · 3
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 his tundra-tire equipped tailwheel airplane on a remote, sandy landing area. During the landing roll, he stated that he used too much braking in the soft sand, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing his tundra-tire equipped tailwheel airplane on a remote, sandy landing area. During the landing roll, he stated that he used too much braking in the soft sand, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3897Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18-150 (A150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7788
- Built
- 1962
- Airframe hours
- 1,946
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Phillip Sturm
- Registered owner
- Phillip Sturm
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 6, 2015
- Departed
- 15Z · McCarthy, AK
- Destination
- McCarthy, AK
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 15, 2015
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4,473 total · 500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 41 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 28, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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 N3897Z · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.