- Date
- July 10, 2025, 17:00 local (Jul 11, 2025, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8979DPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- 20250710008359A
- Case key
- 200537
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.
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, during the landing roll in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, the main landing gear wheels encountered an area of rough and uneven terrain, causing a bounce, and the airplane briefly became airborne again. After touching down again, the pilot applied heavy braking, and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the rudder and right 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
- N8979D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7509053
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 3,459.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 A2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 12, 2025 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- LHD · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- LHD · Anchorage, AK
- Airport
- NONE · Landing Strip
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B, Satellite tracking device
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 25, 2025
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 546.1 total · 333.6 in this make and model · 489.1 as pilot in command · 18.6 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.73 inHg
- Observed at
- AAQ, 6,845 nm away
- METAR
- PAAQ 110053Z 11009G16KT 10SM OVC090 13/05 A2973 RMK AO2 SLP069 T01330050
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 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 N8979D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.