- Date
- July 10, 2025, 16:00 local (Jul 11, 2025, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N27293Piper PA-18-135
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 9, 2026
- 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
- 20250710008349A
- Case key
- 200520
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 nose over. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to continue the landing after determining the landing area was unsuitable.
Findings · 4
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 a tailwheel-equipped airplane at a remote off airport site, he added power twice to clear areas of rough terrain just before touchdown. When the airplane eventually touched down, it bounced and continued further down the site. During the second touchdown, as the landing roll continued, the pilot realized that there was not ample room to stop the airplane before reaching the end of the site, so he applied heavy braking action. The airplane subsequently nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder and left wing lift strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N27293
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-3367
- Built
- 1954
- Airframe hours
- 4,084
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 A2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Marten Martensen Trust
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 25, 2025 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- LHD · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- LHD · Anchorage, AK
- Airport
- NONE · River Bed
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, ADS-B, Electronic multifunction display, Onboard weather
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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 29, 2025
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 362 total · 323 in this make and model · 238 as pilot in command · 51 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.74 inHg
- Observed at
- AAQ, 16 nm away
- METAR
- PAAQ 102353Z 13010G18KT 10SM SCT085 OVC100 14/05 A2974 RMK AO2 SLP073 T01440050 10150 20128 58013
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 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.
Other investigations on N27293 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.