- Date
- August 17, 1989, 17:00 local (Aug 18, 1989, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Copper Center, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3877PPiper PA-18A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890817035429A
- Case key
- 5247
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing by the pilot. He subsequently lost control of the airplane when he improperly applied hard braking during a wheel landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During roll out the pilot lost control of the airplane. A wheel landing was made on rough terrain. Hard braking was used which resulted in the propeller gouging into the ground. The airplane then nosed over onto its back. The landing was made on rough off-airport terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3877P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 184703
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Gillis, Mel
- Registered owner
- Mel Gillis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 700 in this make and model · 1,847 as pilot in command · 160 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 61 °F
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 N3877P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.