- Date
- September 16, 2020, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Arctic Village, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5779DPiper PA18
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Miscellaneous/other
- 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
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 102019
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a rock damaging the empennage.
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 reported that while attempting to land on a remote off-airport gravel bar, the right tundra-tire displaced a rock, which subsequently impacted the right horizontal stabilizer. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5779D
- Reported as
- Piper PA18 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-5295
- Built
- 1956
- Airframe hours
- 5,680
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 17, 2020
- Departed
- PARC · Arctic Village, AK
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Military, Commercial, Flight engineer, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 10,500 total · 800 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- Arctic Village, 50 nm away
Other investigations on N5779D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.