- Date
- August 21, 2016, 08:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Austin, NV
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N65ZAP Z L -Warszawa-Cnpsl PZL 104 Wilga
- Defining event
- Landing: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 5, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160821014579A
- Case key
- 93878
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 failure to maintain an appropriate descent rate during the base to final turn, which resulted in a forced landing, and an intentional aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's excessive braking, which resulted in a nose over and substantial damage to the empennage.
Findings · 6
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 landing atop a backcountry mountain ridge at an elevation of 10,250 feet. The airplane was configured with full flaps and on left base to final turn and the wing blocked his view of the ridge. The pilot reported that in the turn to final he had descended "a couple hundred feet lower" than he should have and when the ridge came into view, he realized he was too low, the airplane would not be able to climb over the ridge, and that he was forced to continue the landing. The pilot further reported that he intentionally aerodynamically stalled the airplane before landing, which resulted in the tail wheel impacting the ground first, then the main landing gear. According to the pilot, to keep the airplane from falling off the edge of the cliff, he "locked up" the brakes, which resulted in a nose over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was landing atop a backcountry mountain ridge at an elevation of 10,250 feet. The airplane was configured with full flaps and on left base to final turn and the wing blocked his view of the ridge. The pilot reported that in the turn to final he had descended "a couple hundred feet lower" than he should have and when the ridge came into view, he realized he was too low, the airplane would not be able to climb over the ridge, and that he was forced to continue the landing. The pilot further reported that he intentionally aerodynamically stalled the airplane before landing, which resulted in the tail wheel impacting the ground first, then the main landing gear. According to the pilot, to keep the airplane from falling off the edge of the cliff, he "locked up" the brakes, which resulted in a nose over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65ZA
- Reported as
- P Z L -Warszawa-Cnpsl PZL 104 Wilga (35A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18830758
- Built
- 1983
- Airframe hours
- 3,644
- Engine
- Vedeneyev M-14P, 360 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 12, 2016
- Departed
- TMT · Austin, NV
- Destination
- Austin, NV
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS
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
- 41
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 3, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,925 total · 700 in this make and model · 1,925 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KP68, 56 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 5, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 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 N65ZA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.