TYONEK, AK, USA
N2796M
Piper PA-12
The private pilot had landed with a left crosswind on a 900 feet long, off airport landing site. As he was taxiing to the end, the left wheel dipped into a hole, and the tail came up in with a wind gust. The pilot added power to try to keep the tail down, but the propeller struck the ground, and the airplane nosed over.
On September 29, 1998, about 1330 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped PA-12 airplane, N2796M, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over at an off airport landing site. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The flight originated from Anchorage, Alaska, for the accident site. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge during an interview on October 19, and wrote in his NTSB Pilot / Operator report, that he was returning to the site to pick up meat from a hunting trip. He stated that he had flown into the site several times already, and had orange flags in the trees for wind indicators. The pilot indicated that he landed uphill on the 900 feet long grass field, with a left crosswind. As he was taxiing to the end, the left wheel dipped into a hole, and the tail came up with a wind gust. He added power to attempt to keep the tail down, but the propeller struck the ground and the plane nosed over.
The aircraft's left wheel encountering a hole as the pilot taxied from landing and his inadequate compensation for wind conditions. Contributing factors were the rough terrain and gusty wind condition.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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