- Date
- September 4, 2018, 16:00 local (Sep 5, 2018, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7690HPiper PA 12
- Defining event
- Landing: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180904013109A
- Case key
- 98246
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 pitch control on uneven terrain during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over.
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
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, while landing uphill at an off-airport unimproved landing site where he had landed before, he applied the brakes, and that the airplane then hit a "bush or a bump," which caused the tail to rise. Subsequently, the propeller struck the ground, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage, fuselage, and wing spars. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, while landing uphill, at an off airport unimproved landing site where he had landed before, he applied the brakes, the airplane hit a "bush or a bump" which caused the tail to raise, the propeller struck the ground and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage, fuselage and wing spars. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7690H
- Reported as
- Piper PA 12 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-580
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 3,715
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-A2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 4, 2018
- Departed
- TKA · Talkeetna, AK
- Destination
- Talkeetna, AK
- Equipment
- 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
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 12, 2016
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 242.8 total · 224.3 in this make and model · 192.8 as pilot in command · 82 in the last 90 days · 28.2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- PATK, 40 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 13, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 851 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 N7690H · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.