Piper PA-18-150 N243AK

Summary

On 9 July 2024 at about 04:10 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N243AK was involved in an accident near Koliganek, Alaska, United States. 2 people were 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

9 July 2024 at 04:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Koliganek, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

59.7268, -157.2603

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N243AK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1989

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Koliganek → Dillingham

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC24LA061

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper landing flare and an improper recovery from a bounced landing, resulting in a loss of directional control, and a subsequent nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was practicing off-airport takeoffs and landings in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The pilot selected a landing site located on a ridgeline and assessed the ridge and wind conditions prior to attempting to land. On his first landing attempt he landed long and aborted the landing to set up for another attempt. On the second landing, the pilot landed long again, but did not initially attempt a go around. During the landing roll, the airplane bounced about 15 ft in the air, and then the pilot applied full power to abort the landing; however, the airplane was too slow, and the pilot lost directional control. The airplane subsequently struck the ground in a nose low, left wing low attitude, resulting in a nose over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.