Piper PA-18-150 N4144E

Summary

On 23 September 2022 at about 19:00 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N4144E, operated by Tradewind LLC, was involved in an accident near Chignik Lake, 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

23 September 2022 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Chignik Lake, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Fan Creek (NONE)

Coordinates

56.3946, -158.8316

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N4144E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Tradewind LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chignik Lagoon → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC22LA081

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during taxi in gusty conditions, which resulted in a nose-over and substantial damage to the rudder and wings.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, after he landed, he taxied the airplane to the top of the hill to pick up a load he was going to transport and then past it to turn the airplane around. He turned the airplane slowly to maintain control, and then taxied down the hill back to the load and noted the wind was now a tailwind. The pilot applied the brakes to stop the airplane, but the wind lifted the tail, and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the rudder and wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.