- Date
- September 4, 2019, 18:00 local (Sep 5, 2019, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N19GBPiper PA18
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 17, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190904012539A
- Case key
- 100238
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 a proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing.
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, during landing on the dry lakebed, he was following a friend's airplane. During the right turn from base to final, his airplane was too close to the airplane ahead, so he decided to make a right turn and land in a clearing. The airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during landing on the dry lakebed, he was #2 to land following a friend's airplane. During the right turn from base to final, he recalled that he was too close to the airplane ahead and decided to make a right turn and land in a clearing. The airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage to both wings, and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19GB
- Reported as
- Piper PA18 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7666
- Built
- 1961
- Airframe hours
- 4,938
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 14, 2019
- Departed
- Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- 4AK6 · Wasilla, AK
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather
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
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 5, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 5,800 total · 17 in this make and model · 3,380 as pilot in command · 77 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 59 °F
- Observed at
- PAQ, 25 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 29, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.9 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.