28 Sep 2012: AVIAT A-1

28 Sep 2012: AVIAT A-1 (N36LE) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Fairbanks, AK, United States

Probable cause

The pilot’s excessive application of brakes during landing, which resulted in a noseover.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On September 28, 2012, about 1016 Alaska daylight time, an Aviat Inc. Husky A-1 airplane, N36LE, sustained substantial damage while landing at Chena Marina Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local flight under the provisions of Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. During an on-scene interview with the National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on September 28, the pilot stated that the accident flight originated at Chena Marina Airport, for a local flight to practice touch-and-go landings. He had completed several touch-and-go landings, and was returning for a full stop. The touchdown was normal, but during the landing roll the tail began to rise, he applied full back pressure on the control stick in an attempt to lower the tail, but the airplane nosed-over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder, lift struts, and wings. The pilot stated there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

During a conversation with the NTSB IIC, an aircraft mechanic who responded to the accident site, said he found both main wheels turned freely. He also observed skid marks from the main wheels on the gravel surfaced runway.

A postaccident examination revealed material from the brake shoes had adhered to both main brake discs.

The closest weather reporting facility is Fairbanks International Airport, approximately 2 mile east of the accident site. At 0953, an aviation routine weather report (METAR) at Fairbanks, Alaska, reported: wind clam; visibility, 10 statute miles; scattered clouds at 5000 feet; broken clouds at 8500 feet; temperature, 37 degrees F; dew point 34 degrees F; altimeter, 29.22 inHG.

Contributing factors

  • cause Pilot
  • cause Unneccessary use/operation

Conditions

Weather
VMC, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.