Skip to content

ANC15CA059

2015-07-20 · Beluga, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N2868P

Make / Model
PIPER PA-18A 150
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19720615
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A2E7C3

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's decision to land with insufficient obstacle clearance. The pilot's failure to maintain directional control after landing resulting in a collision with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot was landing at a remote, off airport site in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. He stated that he made two low passes over the intended landing site, which was narrow, but in good condition, with willow bushes lining both sides of the strip. After landing, the left wing struck willow bushes, the airplane veered off the strip and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was landing at a remote, off airport site in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. He stated that he made two low passes over the intended landing site, which was narrow, but in good condition, with willow bushes lining both sides of the strip. After landing, the left wing struck willow bushes, the airplane veered off the strip and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_ANC15CA059.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.