Piper PA 18-150 N2432H

Summary

On 7 May 2018 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA 18-150 registered N2432H was involved in an accident near Goose Bay, Alaska, United States. One person was 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

7 May 2018 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Goose Bay, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Goose Bay (Z40)

Coordinates

61.3947, -149.8422

Aircraft

Piper PA 18-150

Registration

N2432H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Goose Bay

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA269

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing with a gusting tailwind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the student pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, during his initial solo flight in the airport traffic pattern, he performed a go-around because "I did not like my approach." Following the next approach, he recalled that the airplane encountered a left crosswind gust when the airplane touched down on the gravel runway. He believed that the wind had shifted, and the airplane's tail was "blown" to the right, and its nose turned to the left. The airplane moved from the crown of the runway onto the down-sloping runway edge, and the tailwheel entered the soft gravel. The right wing tip then struck the ground, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway before it came to rest. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The nearest METAR, located 9 miles south of the accident site, reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 280° at 7 knots. The airplane landed on runway 8. The pilot reported that the wind at the time of the accident was variable at 6 knots, gusting to 10 knots. The student reported that, "I should have caught that there had been a wind shift between my touch and go and when I ground looped my aircraft. In preparation for landing a final check of the windsock needs to be done, every time. If there is a crosswind, a wing low approach would have helped avoid losing control of the aircraft when I touched down." The student reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.