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Atlas / NTSB / ANC23LA064

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ANC23LA064

2023-08-22 SKWENTNA, Alaska, United States None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N4111Z

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-18

Year of manufacture

1964 · 59 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19640806

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A4DA6A

Registrant of record

BREDIN THOMAS W

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s decision to taxi the airplane through tall grass without visual reference to the surface which obscured uneven terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported he landed on an unimproved strip, and then elected to reposition the airplane through an area of tall grass. During taxi, the main landing gear wheels hit a dip in the uneven terrain, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the rudder and right wing. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ANC23LA064.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.