Piper PA-18 N6981B

Summary

On 2 September 2002 at about 03:00 local time, a Piper PA-18 registered N6981B was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 September 2002 at 03:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Little Mt. Susitna

Coordinates

61.4500, -150.9500

Aircraft

Piper PA-18

Registration

N6981B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC02LA112

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point on a remote airstrip, and his failure to perform a go-around that resulted in the airplane overrunning the end of the strip. Factors in the accident were the pilot's inadequate evaluation of a tailwind condition, and a wet landing surface.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private certificated pilot was landing at a remote airstrip. The landing strip, oriented southeast/northwest, is about 600 feet long, by 15 feet wide, and is positioned on a ridge of a mountain. The pilot said he was landing toward the southeast, and touched down on the strip about 1/3 of its total distance beyond the landing threshold. He applied the airplane's brakes, but the tires began to slide on wet grass. The airplane departed off the end of the landing strip. The left main landing gear tire struck a hole about 300 feet past the end of the landing strip, and the left main landing gear was sheared off. The airplane received damage to the propeller, the left wing lift strut, and the left wing. The pilot reported that after the accident, he utilized a hand-held wind meter and discovered he had landed with about a 5 knot tailwind. The Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) submitted by the pilot, contained an optional area for recommendations as to how the accident could have been prevented. The pilot indicated that his recommendation was, "Perform go-around instead of landing long."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.