Piper PA18 N1258C
11 May 2017 · Seward, Alaska, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 11 May 2017 at about 20:55 local time, a Piper PA18 registered N1258C was involved in an accident near Seward, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Seward, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Seward (SWD)
- Coordinates
- 60.1300, -149.4169
- Aircraft
- Piper PA18
- Registration
- N1258C
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1953
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Seward → Seward
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA17CA275
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The flight instructor's incorrect brake application during a high-speed taxi with a tailwind, 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
The flight instructor reported that he was providing tailwheel instruction for the pilot, who was in the front seat of the tandem-seat airplane and did not possess a tailwheel endorsement. Following multiple landings earlier in the flight, the pilot was practicing a high-speed taxi in tailwind conditions. Upon reaching about 20 mph ground speed, "directional control began to be lost." Subsequently, the flight instructor applied brakes, and the airplane nosed over. The vertical stabilizer and left-wing lift strut sustained substantial damage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An automated weather observation station at the accident airport recorded that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 170° at 9 knots. The flight instructor reported they were taxiing north on runway 31.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA18 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Sep 2017 | Piper PA18 | Holy Cross, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2017 | Piper PA18 | Tyonek, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 2017 | Piper PA18 | Sterling, Alaska, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 May 2016 | Piper PA18 | Seward, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2018 | Piper PA18 | McGrath, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 2016 | Piper PA18 | Hanna, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Mar 2017 | Beechcraft G18 | Metlakatla, Alaska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2017 | Cessna A185 | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 2017 | Stinson 108 | Pedro Bay, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Oct 2017 | Cessna 182 | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Mar 2017 | Cessna R172K | Nome, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Aug 2017 | Cessna 150 | Wasilla, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |