- Date
- September 29, 1998, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tyonek, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N2796MPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980929039179A
- Case key
- 45143
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 aircraft's left wheel encountering a hole as the pilot taxied from landing and his inadequate compensation for wind conditions. Contributing factors were the rough terrain and gusty 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 private pilot had landed with a left crosswind on a 900 feet long, off airport landing site. As he was taxiing to the end, the left wheel dipped into a hole, and the tail came up in with a wind gust. The pilot added power to try to keep the tail down, but the propeller struck the ground, and the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On September 29, 1998, about 1330 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped PA-12 airplane, N2796M, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over at an off airport landing site. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The flight originated from Anchorage, Alaska, for the accident site. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge during an interview on October 19, and wrote in his NTSB Pilot / Operator report, that he was returning to the site to pick up meat from a hunting trip. He stated that he had flown into the site several times already, and had orange flags in the trees for wind indicators. The pilot indicated that he landed uphill on the 900 feet long grass field, with a left crosswind. As he was taxiing to the end, the left wheel dipped into a hole, and the tail came up with a wind gust. He added power to attempt to keep the tail down, but the propeller struck the ground and the plane nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2796M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-1195
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard A. Millar
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1998
- Departed
- LHD · 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 330 total · 268 in this make and model · 315 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 25 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.
Other investigations on N2796M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.