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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

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NTSB Report

August 20, 2005 · Piper PA-18-150 · N13833

Cold Foot, AK

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
August 20, 2005
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (1 uninjured)
Location
Cold Foot, AK
Aircraft
Piper PA-18-150
Tail Number
N13833
Operator
U S Fish and Wildlife Service
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
ANC05TA126

The commercial pilot was conducting a 14 CFR Part 91 public use flight, and was landing the tundra tire-equipped, tailwheel airplane on an off-airport landing site in support of federal law enforcement activities. The pilot said he landed on an unimproved strip of tundra, and during the landing roll the right main wheel hit an unseen ledge, and then a hole, and nosed down. According to the pilot, there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. The operator said the airplane sustained a broken engine mount, and structural damage to the forward fuselage and firewall.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in the airplane nosing down during the landing roll. A factor associated with the accident was the rough and uneven terrain.

Full Narrative

On August 20, 2005, about 1400 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N13833, sustained substantial damage when it nosed down during the landing roll on a remote tundra strip, about 80 miles north of Cold Foot, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) federal public use law enforcement flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo commercial certificated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge on August 25, the pilot said he landed on an unimproved strip of tundra to check sheep hunters. He said during the landing roll he changed the line of the roll from what he had determined in the air to a line that looked better on the ground. He said his right main wheel hit an "18-inch vertical face," which he had not seen due to low-hanging brush. The right main wheel then hit a hole, and the airplane nosed down. According to the pilot, there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. The operator said the airplane sustained a broken engine mount, and structural damage to the forward fuselage and firewall.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time14:00 AKDT
Nearest Airport0nm
Flight Plan FiledCvfr
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftPiper PA-18-150
Tail NumberN13833
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorU S Fish and Wildlife Service
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · O-320-A2B · Reciprocating · 160
Seats2

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (1 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured1
Total1
Crew 1Age 39 · Second Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
WindCalm
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point50 / 0 C
Altimeter0
Weather SourcePILO

Appendix: Source Data