No fatalities

13 Aug 2011: PIPER PA-18-135 — Scenic Mountain Air, Inc. — Coldfoot, AK

Coldfoot, AK, United States

On 13 Aug 2011, a PIPER PA-18-135 operated by Scenic Mountain Air, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Coldfoot, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadvertent application of the right brake pedal during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During landing at a remote site, a tailwheel airplane nosed over after the pilot applied right rudder to correct a veer, suspecting inadvertent brake application. Substantial wing damage occurred.

Accident Summary

A tailwheel-equipped airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings and wing lift struts when it nosed over during the landing roll at a remote off-airport site. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, reported no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

Landing Conditions

The pilot was landing at a remote off-airport site with a quartering tailwind of 4 to 5 knots, requiring a correction for the wind condition.

Sequence of Events

During the landing roll, the airplane veered slightly to the left. The pilot applied right rudder to correct the veer. As he depressed the right rudder pedal, the airplane abruptly nosed over. The pilot reported that he suspects he inadvertently depressed the right brake pedal when he applied right rudder, which may have caused the nose-over.

Aircraft Damage

The nose-over resulted in substantial damage to the wings and wing lift struts.

Pilot's Observation

The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane, indicating that the event was not due to a mechanical failure.

Contributing factors

PilotUnintentional use/operation