Delta Junction, AK, USA
N1087A
Piper PA-18
The commercial certificated pilot was transporting hunting and camp supplies to a remote area in support of a hunting party. He landed the tundra tire-equipped airplane on a remote mountain ridge where previous wheel tracks were visible. During the landing roll, the pilot said that when he applied the brakes, the large tundra tires began to bounce over the rough terrain, and he was being careful not to apply excessive braking action. The airplane overran the pilot's intended landing area, and the right main tire encountered a depression. The right wing and propeller struck the ground. The aircraft mechanic who repaired the airplane reported that he repaired the leading edge of the right wing, and replaced a wing nose rib.
On May 23, 2005, about 1000 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N1087A, sustained substantial damage when it encountered rough terrain at a remote landing area, about 56 miles northeast of Delta Junction, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country air taxi flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot under the business name of WRAM, Fairbanks, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Chena Marina Airport, Fairbanks, about 0830. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on June 6, the pilot reported that he was transporting hunting and camp supplies to a remote area in support of a three-person hunting party. He said that he landed on a mountain ridge where previous wheel tracks were visible. During the landing roll, the pilot said that when he applied the brakes, the large tundra tires began to bounce over the rough terrain, and he was being careful not to apply excessive braking action. The airplane overran the pilot's intended landing area, and the right main tire encountered a depression. The right wing and propeller struck the ground. The pilot indicated that after examining the airplane for signs of extreme damage, and finding none, he flew the airplane to the Dry Creek Airstrip where the hunting clients were waiting for transport. During a telephone conversation on June 6, with the aircraft mechanic who repaired the airplane, the mechanic reported that he replaced a wing nose rib in the right wing, and repaired the leading edge of the wing.
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in an overrun. A factor contributing to the accident was rough and uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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