- Date
- April 13, 1996, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Paxson, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4791MPiper PA-11
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19960413008099A
- Case key
- 2827
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 student pilot's selection of an unsuitable off airport landing site. Factors associated with the accident were the soft and snow covered terrain.
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
The student pilot reported that he was landing on a snow covered, off-airport landing site to watch a winter sports competition. During the landing roll, the main landing gear skis broke through the soft snow and the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On March 13, 1996, about 1330 Alaska daylight time, a ski equipped Piper PA-11 airplane, N4791M, sustained substantial damage while landing at an off airport site near Paxson, Alaska. The solo student pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 pleasure flight originated at the Lake Hood Airstrip, Anchorage, Alaska, and operated in visual meteorological conditions.
The student pilot reported the accident on March 23. In a written statement provided to the NTSB investigator-in-charge, he wrote that he was landing the airplane on a snow covered surface. During the landing roll, the landing gear skis broke through the snow, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot said he was landing the airplane to watch the Arctic Iron Man competition.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4791M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-11
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11-305
- Airframe hours
- 2,353
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mark W. Barkdull
- Registered owner
- Robert J. Hallett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1995 · 93 hours before
- Departed
- Z41 · Anchorage, AK
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 51 total · 51 in this make and model · 35 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.