- Date
- April 11, 2022, 18:45 local (Apr 12, 2022, 02:45 UTC)
- Place
- Beluga, AK · Mount Torbert
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N135ESPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing area overshoot
- 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
- 20220411005309A
- Case key
- 104947
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 excessive touchdown speed, which resulted in a long landing and impact with terrain.
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 landing off-airport on snow-covered mountainous terrain, the ski-equipped airplane touched down fast, and he was unable to make a left turn prior to the airplane impacting a “gully”. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the opposite side of the gully, both landing gear collapsed, and the left wing impacted the terrain and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N135ES
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8109074
- Built
- 1981
- Airframe hours
- 1,812.3
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C4P, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · September 10, 2021
- Departed
- BCV · Birchwood, AK
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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 8, 2020
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 202 total · 40 in this make and model · 150 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.43 inHg
- Observed at
- PANC, 58 nm away
- METAR
- PANC 120253Z 29004KT 10SM FEW250 06/M05 A3043 RMK AO2 SLP307 T00561050 58013
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 22, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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.