Piper PA-18 N3774Z

Summary

On 5 September 2000 at about 05:00 local time, a Piper PA-18 registered N3774Z, operated by Gary S. Munoz, was involved in an accident near Ruby, 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

5 September 2000 at 05:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Ruby, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

65.0300, -154.9105

Aircraft

Piper PA-18

Registration

N3774Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Gary S. Munoz

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

Unk

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC00LA114

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadvertent ground loop/swerve during the landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said he made a wheel landing on an off-airport gravel bar, and during rollout, the airplane's nose swerved to the right. He said when he applied the booster brakes, the nose continued to the right, and the airplane ground looped. The pilot wrote in his report to the NTSB that he didn't know if there was a mechanical problem with the airplane, but that the right brake 'may' have locked up. According to the airplane owner, the pilot was landing on a 1,500 feet long by 100 feet wide gravel bar, and attempted to stop the airplane quickly to make a short turnoff. The winds were calm at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, and the empennage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.