- Date
- April 24, 1996, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4229HPiper PA-14
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 1, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19960424008269A
- Case key
- 2828
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 inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions. Factors in the accident were the crosswind and the pilot's inadequate evaluation of the wind condition.
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 certificated private pilot was landing at an 800 foot long airstrip at 2,500 feet mean sea level. The strip was oriented north and south along a ridge. The pilot was landing to the south and indicated that the wind was coming upslope from the east about 12 to 15 knots. After touchdown, the pilot applied the brakes and the tail of the airplane began to rise. He released the brakes and added engine power to keep the tail down. The tail continued to rise and the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On April 24, about 1430 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-14, N4229H, crashed during landing at a private airstrip, about 20 miles southeast of Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Lake Hood Strip, Anchorage, about 1400.
In a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported that he was landing at an airstrip known as Table Top Mountain. The 800 feet long and 15 feet wide strip is oriented north and south along a ridge. The pilot was landing to the south and indicated that the wind was coming upslope from the east about 12 to 15 knots. After touchdown, the pilot applied the brakes and the tail of the airplane began to rise. He released the brakes and added engine power to keep the tail down. The tail continued to rise and the airplane nosed over. The airplane received damage to the nose and wings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4229H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-14
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 14-32
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David Calkins
- Registered owner
- Stephen R. Libby
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 30, 1995 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- Z41 · AK
- Airport
- Table Top Mountain, runway 18, 800 × 15 ft, gravel
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 305 total · 45 in this make and model · 262 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 15 knots
- 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.