No fatalities

2 Jun 2018: PIPER PA 12 NO SERIES — Nulato, AK

Nulato, AK, United States

On 2 Jun 2018, a PIPER PA 12 NO SERIES was involved in an aviation accident near Nulato, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing on upsloping terrain, and his subsequent failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during an attempted go-around, which resulted in… 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

A pilot reported a hard landing on an upslope ridge with a tailwheel airplane, initiated a go-around, but the airplane stalled and nosed down into the tundra, resulting in substantial damage to the engine mount.

Accident Overview

A pilot reported that, while attempting to land off airport on an upslope of a ridge, a tailwheel-equipped airplane touched down harder than preferred. The pilot then applied full throttle to initiate a go-around and attempted to turn the airplane toward the downslope side of the hill.

Sequence of Events

According to the pilot, the airplane briefly became airborne during the go-around attempt. However, it subsequently entered an aerodynamic stall and nosed down into the tundra. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Damage Assessment

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the airplane's engine mount. No other damage was reported.

Additional Information

The pilot did not report any injuries or fatalities. The report did not specify the aircraft type, registration, engine count, date, operator, location, occupants, time of day, weather conditions, or involvement of air traffic control.

Contributing factors

Causes

Capability exceededAirspeed — Not attained/maintainedLanding flare — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome