Piper PA 18 N3797Z

Summary

On 25 September 2017 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA 18 registered N3797Z was involved in an accident near Beluga, 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

25 September 2017 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Beluga, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

55.9201, -159.4906

Aircraft

Piper PA 18

Registration

N3797Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Beluga

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA569

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inability to maintain pitch control due to an encounter with a tailwind gust after the airplane had stopped, which resulted in a nose-over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he landed on tundra that had an uphill slope. Before touchdown, the pilot shut off the engine "in case of a nose over event." He reported that, after the landing roll, when the airplane was completely stopped on level ground, a tailwind gust lifted the tail. The airplane balanced on the nose for about 10 seconds, a second gust pushed the airplane over, and it came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.