- Date
- September 4, 2021, 10:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gustavus, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N371SCPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20210904016519A
- Case key
- 103829
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 an off-airport beach landing.
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he was landing off-airport, on a sloped tidal beach, with a crosswind. During the landing the airplane veered left, and he attempted to correct to no avail. Subsequently, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest about 90° to the left of the intended landing path. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N371SC
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8914
- Built
- 1970
- Airframe hours
- 3,125.2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 2021
- Departed
- PAOH · Hoona, 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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 19, 2020
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 9,126 total · 590 in this make and model · 8,223 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.53 inHg
- Observed at
- PAGS, 40 nm away
- METAR
- PAGS 041756Z AUTO 31007KT 10SM OVC004 12/11 A2953 RMK AO2 SLP998 60004 T01170111 10122 20117 56023
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 21, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.3 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.