- Date
- March 30, 2026, 14:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Cordova, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N212PXWag Aero Sportsman
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260330003289A
- Case key
- 202728
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 decision to land on an unsuitable snow-covered runway and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll which resulted in a 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 snow-covered runway in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, the main landing gear wheels encountered soft snow and the airplane nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder, wings, wing struts, and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N212PX
- Reported as
- Wag Aero Sportsman (2 PLUS 2)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1133
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 687.3
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 6, 2025 · 28.4 hours before
- Departed
- VDZ · Valdez, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- CKU · Cordova Municipal Airport, runway 24, 1,800 × 60 ft, snow
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld 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
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 14, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 91.4 total · 23 in this make and model · 36.4 as pilot in command · 2.6 in the last 90 days · 1.2 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
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- PACV, 9 nm away
- METAR
- METAR PACV 300953Z 00000KT 10SM CLR M08/M10 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP179 T10831100
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 11, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.1 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.