- Date
- September 15, 2024, 14:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4118ZPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: 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 FSDO
- FAA report
- 20240915013629A
- Case key
- 195181
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 braking during the landing roll, resulting in a ground loop and 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, during the landing roll on a gravel bar, he applied brakes too aggressively on an area of soft ground. The airplane ground looped and nosed over which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4118Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8159
- Built
- 1964
- Airframe hours
- 3,291.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-C1G, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Supercub1 LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 20, 2024 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- MRI · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- MRI · Anchorage, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Handheld GPS, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 10, 2023
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 5,220 total · 210 in this make and model · 4,215 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.44 inHg
- Observed at
- PAAQ, 14 nm away
- METAR
- PAAQ 152153Z 28005KT 10SM FEW031 BKN055 OVC085 13/07 A2944 RMK AO2 SLP971 T01280067
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 12, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 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.
Other investigations on N4118Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.