- Date
- June 16, 1998, 09:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4320ZPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 19, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980616020799A
- Case key
- 3161
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 pilots misjudgement of the tailwind, and excessive application of brakes during the off airport 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
The pilot was practicing tundra landings with newly installed tundra tires. While landing on an unimproved off airport site, the airplane encountered a slight tailwind gust. The pilot applied brakes, and the airplane nosed over onto its back. The pilot stated that he made an error in determining wind direction and speed.
Factual narrative
On June 16, 1998, at 0900 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N4320Z, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during landing on tundra, about 17 miles north of Talkeetna, Alaska. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, as a local flight from Talkeetna to practice landings with the newly installed tires. The flight departed at 0730. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a VFR flight plan was filed.
The pilot told the NTSB Investigator-In-Charge during a telephone interview on June 16, that he was practicing landings on tundra, and the winds were generally calm. He stated that during a landing to the south, he encountered a slight tailwind gust. The pilot hit the brakes, and the airplane nosed over onto its back. He wrote in his Pilot/Operator Report that he made an error in determining wind direction and speed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4320Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8633
- Airframe hours
- 3,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Max C. Schwab
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 1, 1998
- Departed
- TKA · AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 4,500 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °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 N4320Z · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.