ANC95LA093

The pilot reported he was attempting to complete a low pass over an intended off airport site to assess its suitability for landing. He said that while flying over the potential landing site, he inadvertently descended too low, and the main landing gear contacted tall vegetation. The airplane was 'pulled down' into the vegetation and nosed over.

On June 27, 1995, about 1700 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N5238N, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain during a low pass preparatory to landing adjacent to the Chuitna River. The Chuitna River is located approximately 10 miles northwest of Tyonek, Alaska. The solo private pilot reported no injury. The flight departed Wasilla, Alaska, about 1400. The personal flight operated without a flight plan in visual meteorological conditions.

During a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge on July 2, 1995, the pilot reported he was flying at low altitude alongside the Chuitna River, looking for a place to land. He said the grass he was flying over was taller than he anticipated, and that he inadvertently allowed the airplane's main landing gear to contact the grass. The grass then "pulled" the airplane down to the ground, where it nosed over.