Piper PA-18-150 N7MY

Summary

On 11 September 2021 at about 00:15 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N7MY was involved in an accident near Talkeetna, 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

11 September 2021 at 00:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Talkeetna, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.5372, -149.6469

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N7MY

Category

Airplane

Year built

1959

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Talkeetna → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC21LA088

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a loss of directional control and nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that prior to landing at an off-airport, rocky and tundra covered, uphill slope landing site, he made several passes over the area looking for hazards and “dragged” the wheels to test the landing surface. During the landing, the airplane touched down slightly past the “ideal spot”, he applied the brakes, but the airplane did not slow as much has he had expected. As the airplane reached the top of the knoll and started down the other side it began to weathervane to the right. He applied the brakes to avoid rocks and the airplane encountered a large hole that he had “not seen from the air.” Subsequently, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted sustaining substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that the accident may have been avoided if he had selected a more suitable landing site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.