No fatalities

16 Jul 2018: Piper PA18S 150 — Palmer, AK

Palmer, AK, United States

On 16 Jul 2018, a Piper PA18S 150 was involved in an aviation accident near Palmer, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 3 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During the landing roll on a soft field runway, the tail of a tailwheel-equipped airplane lifted despite aft control stick pressure, leading to a nose-over. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to wing lift struts.

Accident Details

A pilot reported that, during the landing roll on a soft field runway, the tail of the tailwheel-equipped airplane began to lift. The pilot maintained aft pressure on the control stick, but the tail continued to rise, and the airplane nosed over.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to both the left and right wing lift struts.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather Conditions

The pilot reported that the wind was from 110 degrees at 6 knots. However, the automated weather observation station located at the airport indicated that, around the time of the accident, the wind was calm. The pilot landed on runway 16.

Contributing factors

Pitch control — Not attained/maintainedPilot