- Date
- December 2, 2020, 16:00 local (Dec 3, 2020, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Juneau, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N4900CPiper PA18
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: 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
- 20201202017759A
- Case key
- 102370
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 solo student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during taxi in strong crosswind conditions, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent impact with a ditch.
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 solo student pilot reported that, while taxiing to park, a strong crosswind lifted the right wing and that the airplane then began to roll. He attempted to correct for the roll to no avail, and the airplane subsequently ran off the side of the taxiway and impacted a drainage ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and right lift struts. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4900C
- Reported as
- Piper PA18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- A1-18062
- Built
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 720.7
- Engine
- Lycoming O320--A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bradley Rider
- Registered owner
- Bradley Rider
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 20, 2020
- Departed
- PAGS · Gustavus, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- JNU · Juneau Intl
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,200 total · 700 in this make and model · 1,200 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 25 knots, gusting 45
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.56 inHg
- Observed at
- PAJN
- METAR
- PAJN 030053Z 12025G45KT 10SM -RA BKN055 OVC070 11/00 A2956 RMK A02 PK WND 12047/0041 RAB49 SLP010 P0000 T01060000 $
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 N4900C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.