- Date
- April 10, 2020, 00:08 local (08:08 UTC)
- Place
- Homer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N184WFPiper PA18
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report June 29, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200410005079A
- Case key
- 101161
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 overapplication of the brakes during landing and the subsequent loss of directional control and nose-over.
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 of the wheel- and ski-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll on the dry, paved runway, the airplane began to veer right, and he attempted to correct with left rudder and brake. Subsequently, the tail lifted, the tips of the skis dug into the grooved pavement, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage and right-wing lift strut. The pilot added that he should have been "more aggressive" with the rudder and applied brakes sooner. He added that he had a long runway to use but got "fooled into complacency." The pilot reported that he felt his use of a flight helmet during the accident sequence was essential to the prevention of injury.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the wheel/ski-equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll-out on the dry, paved runway, the airplane began to veer right, and he attempted to correct with left rudder and brake. Subsequently, the tail lifted, the tips of the skis dug into the grooved pavement, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage and right-wing lift strut. The pilot added that he should have been "more aggressive" with the rudder and braking sooner. He further reported the weather was "nice," he had a long runway to utilize, but got "fooled into complacency". The pilot reported that he felt the usage of his flight helmet during the accident sequence was essential to the prevention of injury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N184WF
- Reported as
- Piper PA18 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-6961
- Built
- 1959
- Airframe hours
- 3,427.3
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2019
- Departed
- MRI · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- HOM · Homer, AK
- Airport
- HOM · Homer, runway 22, 6,701 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Satellite tracking device
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 25, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1,201 total · 750 in this make and model · 1,101 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.47 inHg
- Observed at
- PAHO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 7, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 13.1 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.