- Date
- May 18, 2025, 14:12 local (22:12 UTC)
- Place
- Willow, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N44473Taylorcraft BC12-D1
- 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 FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250518014869A
- Case key
- 200181
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 inadvertent application of brakes during landing, which resulted in a nose over.
Findings · 5
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 on a sandy gravel bar in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, the airplane bounced slightly during touchdown. Subsequently, the pilot inadvertently applied the brakes, and the airplane nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing lift strut, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44473
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft BC12-D1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10273
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 3,085.53
- Engine
- Continental O200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 26, 2025 · 10.5 hours before
- Departed
- 2D3 · Palmer, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR/IFR
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, 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
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 12, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 465.7 total · 340.3 in this make and model · 396.5 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 8.3 in the last 30 days · 1.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- AWS, 24 nm away
- METAR
- PAWS 182156Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM BKN075 13/06 A2982 RMK AO2 SLPNO T01330061
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 11, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.9 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.