No fatalities

Tailwheel Airplane Nosed Over During Back-Taxiing at Remote Gravel Site

McCarthy, AK, United States

On June 15, 2011, a PIPER PA-18A operated by JOHN M. MILLER was involved in an aviation accident near McCarthy, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while taxiing in gusty wind conditions. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported that a tailwheel-equipped airplane nosed over after a gust of wind lifted the tail while back-taxiing at a remote, gravel-covered, off-airport site. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the left wing lift strut.

Incident Overview A pilot operating a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported an accident that occurred while back-taxiing at a remote, gravel-covered, off-airport site. The pilot stated that a gust of wind lifted the tail of the aircraft, causing it to nose over. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The aircraft received substantial damage to the left wing lift strut as a result of the incident. No specific aircraft type, registration, date, operator, location, or cause beyond the reported wind gust and tail lift was provided in the source material.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

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Contributed to outcome