- Date
- October 1, 2015, 18:02 local (Oct 2, 2015, 02:02 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8996YPiper PA 18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20151001022309A
- Case key
- 92125
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 excessive brake application during landing, which resulted in a nose-over.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was practicing off airport landings on a gravel bar, as part of a backcountry flying course, with a company safety pilot in the rear seat. During the landing roll and as the airplane approached the end of the gravel bar, he applied the brakes and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right forward lift strut and the empennage.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was practicing off airport landings on a gravel bar, as part of a backcountry flying course, with a company safety pilot in the rear seat. During the landing roll and as the airplane approached the end of the gravel bar, he applied the brakes and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right forward lift strut and the empennage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8996Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18-150 (A150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7409138
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 2,833.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 2015
- Departed
- 4AK6 · Palmer, AK
- Destination
- 4AK6 · Palmer, AK
- Equipment
- None
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Military, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 29, 2015
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,400 total · 24 in this make and model · 2,761 as pilot in command · 78 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.47 inHg
- Observed at
- PATK, 16 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 20, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 MB in all.
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 N8996Y · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.