- Date
- July 8, 2024, 20:10 local (Jul 9, 2024, 04:10 UTC)
- Place
- Koliganek, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N243AKPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- 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
- 20240708008169A
- Case key
- 194659
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 improper landing flare and an improper recovery from a bounced landing, resulting in a loss of directional control, and a subsequent 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 reported that he was practicing off-airport takeoffs and landings in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The pilot selected a landing site located on a ridgeline and assessed the ridge and wind conditions prior to attempting to land. On his first landing attempt he landed long and aborted the landing to set up for another attempt. On the second landing, the pilot landed long again, but did not initially attempt a go around. During the landing roll, the airplane bounced about 15 ft in the air, and then the pilot applied full power to abort the landing; however, the airplane was too slow, and the pilot lost directional control. The airplane subsequently struck the ground in a nose low, left wing low attitude, resulting in a nose over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N243AK
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1809010
- Built
- 1989
- Airframe hours
- 5,645
- Engine
- Lycoming, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 2, 2023 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- PAJZ · Koliganek, AK
- Destination
- PADL · Dillingham, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- JZZ
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, 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
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- May 31, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 5,107 total · 300 in this make and model · 5,107 as pilot in command · 184 in the last 90 days · 96 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- AJZ
- METAR
- PAJZ 081656Z AUTO 17006KT 7SM CLR 12/09 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP177 T01220094 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 8, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.