- Date
- August 27, 2019, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Kenai, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7184BPiper PA18
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 11, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190827019119A
- Case key
- 100159
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 improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and the subsequent loss of directional control and impact with a tree.
Findings · 4
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 on an unimproved airstrip, the airplane landed hard and veered left. He added that he "dumped [the] flaps and attempted to arrest the leftward direction with braking" and then applied full power to go around, but the airplane impacted a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, rudder, and left-wing lift strut. 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 on an unimproved airstrip, the airplane landed hard and veered left. He "dumped [his] flaps and attempted to arrest the leftward direction with braking" then applied full power to go around, but the airplane impacted brush and a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, rudder, and left-wing lift strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind was 180° at 10 knots. An airport's automated weather observation station located 30 miles to the southeast, reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was 260° at 6 knots. The pilot was landing the airplane to the south.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7184B
- Reported as
- Piper PA18 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-5224
- Built
- 1956
- Airframe hours
- 3,787
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 A2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 12, 2019
- Departed
- ENA · Kenai, AK
- Destination
- Kenai, AK
- Equipment
- 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
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 31, 2018
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,082 total · 807 in this make and model · 1,061 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- PAEN, 30 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 29, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 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 N7184B · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.