- Date
- June 25, 2018, 08:53 local (16:53 UTC)
- Place
- Cantwell, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N249TPiper PA 18
- Defining event
- Landing-aborted after touchdown: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 5, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180625008579A
- Case key
- 97572
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 see and avoid a post during a go-around following a landing on unsuitable terrain.
Findings · 3
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
Due to weather ahead, the pilot decided to land on a gravel strip to wait out the weather. During the landing roll, the tailwheel-equipped airplane became airborne after passing over a low spot on the gravel; the pilot increased the engine power to full to perform a go-around, but the airplane's right wing struck a 10 ft-tall post, which he had not seen, and the airplane impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
Due to weather ahead, the pilot decided to land on a gravel strip to wait out the weather. During the landing roll, the tailwheel equipped airplane "became airborne" after passing over a low spot on a gravel he increased the engine power to full to perform a go-around. But, the airplane's right wing struck a 10 ft. high post, which he had not seen, and the airplane impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N249T
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18 (105)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-2363
- Built
- 1953
- Airframe hours
- 7,418
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 19, 2018
- Departed
- 4AK6 · Palmer, AK
- Destination
- PACL · Clear, AK
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 14, 2017
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,617 total · 108 in this make and model · 1,968 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- PAIN, 10 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 27, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 963 KB 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 N249T · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.