# NTSB ANC99LA135: Piper PA-14, N5402H, Fairbanks, AK, August 23, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 22, 1999, 16:00 local (Aug 23, 1999, 00:00 UTC) - Place: Fairbanks, AK - Coordinates: 64.809898, -147.719238 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=64.8099&lon=-147.7192&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 30, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 47398 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC99LA135 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47398/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA135 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadvertent stall during the landing flare. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The certificated private pilot stated that during the landing flare, about three feet above the runway, the airplane stalled, and the main landing gear struck the runway. The pilot added: 'I'm just fairly new in this airplane, and I just haven't gotten the hang of it yet.' The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right landing gear attach point, and a fuselage longeron. ## Factual narrative On August 22, 1999, about 1600 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-14 airplane, N5402H, sustained substantial damage while landing at a private airstrip located about six miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The certificated private pilot, and the sole passenger aboard, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Cantwell Airport, Cantwell, Alaska, about 1500. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on September 14, the pilot reported that during the landing flare, about three feet above the runway, the airplane stalled, and the main landing gear struck the runway. The pilot added: "I'm just fairly new in this airplane, and I just haven't gotten the hang of it yet." A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector from the Fairbanks Flight Standards District Office, traveled to the accident airstrip on August 30, and examined the airplane. The inspector reported that the right landing gear attach point, and a fuselage longeron, sustained substantial damage during the hard landing. An NTSB Pilot/Operator report (form 6120.1/2) was sent to the accident pilot on August 23, 1999, but the completed report was not returned. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5402H](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5402H), registered now, S/N 14-512, built 1949 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-14 - Registry model: [Piper PA-14](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-14) (registry code 7101402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 14-512 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: John P. Bast - Registered owner: Fred D. Bast - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 3, 1999 - Departed: TTW, CANTWELL, AK - Airport: runway 27, gravel ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 26; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 241 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 64 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990822043099A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990822043099A), Aug 22, 1999: Piper PA14, Fairbanks, AK, No damage. (-23) Pilot landed at a grass strip at private residence and sustained substantial damage due to a hard landing. Damage to right main gear. Stucture damage to… ## Other investigations on N5402H (2) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ANC06CA111](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC06CA111), Aug 15, 2006: Piper PA-14 (N5402H), Fairbanks, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of an unsuitable off-airport site for takeoff, which resulted in an on-ground encounter with rough-uneven terrain, a loss of control, and a collision with small trees. Factors… - [NTSB ANC99LA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA056), May 2, 1999: Piper PA-14 (N5402H), Talkeetna, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, and an inadvertent ground loop. A factor in the accident was a quartering tailwind. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.