- Date
- August 5, 2020, 11:55 local (19:55 UTC)
- Place
- Minchumina, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9015UGreg Miller GOT Rocks
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20200805012889A
- Case key
- 101753
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 failure to maintain directional control during landing in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in an impact with a large hole and 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 tailwheel and tundra tire-equipped airplane on a remote off-airport landing site. While on short final approach and just before touchdown a gust of wind pushed the airplane to the left. The airplane touched down about five ft left of his intended touchdown point and the left main tire impacted a large hole. The airplane subsequently nosed over sustaining substantial damage to the right wing, right lift strut and rudder. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations. In the recommendation section of the NTSB Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot stated that he knew the winds were erratic in the area, and the accident may have been prevented if he had selected another landing site where the winds were more predictable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9015U
- Reported as
- Greg Miller GOT Rocks (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 725.3
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 C1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 2, 2019
- Departed
- PAMR · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Minchumina, 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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 4, 2020
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,613 total · 1,562 in this make and model · 3,554 as pilot in command · 33.7 in the last 90 days · 14.3 in the last 30 days · 4.3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 8, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.0 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 N9015U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.