Piper PA 18 N5773D

Summary

On 18 September 2016 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA 18 registered N5773D was involved in an accident near McGrath, 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

18 September 2016 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

McGrath, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

63.3800, -156.3600

Aircraft

Piper PA 18

Registration

N5773D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1956

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → McGrath

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC16CA066

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's excessive taxi speed, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had landed his tailwheel-equipped airplane on a rough and uneven, soft, off-airport landing site in gusty wind conditions. He reported that he had landed at the same spot the previous day, but at a higher gross weight. While back taxiing the airplane became stuck, he applied near full power and the airplane began to roll. In an effort to avoid becoming stuck again, he chose to taxi at a higher than normal speed and power setting. He stated that the airplane began to accelerate and in an effort to slow down, he applied the main wheel brakes while simultaneously hitting a large tussock. The airplane nosed over sustaining substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. In the recommendation section of the NTSB Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot stated that the accident may have been prevented if he had shut down the airplane and walked the landing zone prior to taxi to look for hazards, or if he had a better understanding of how gross weight affects airplane control while on the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.