Summary
On June 26, 2000, a Piper PA-18 (N7437) was involved in an incident near Nikiski, AK. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: A bear running onto the landing area during the landing flare. A factor associated with the accident was the high vegetation on the edge of the airstrip.
On June 25, 2000, about 2000 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N7437, sustained substantial damage when it contacted brush during landing on a remote airstrip on the Kustatan River, about 28 miles west-northwest of Nikiski, Alaska, at 60 degrees, 58 minutes north latitude, 152 degrees, 00 minutes west longitude. The private pilot and the one passenger on board received no injuries. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and departed the Arness Lake airstrip at Kenai, Alaska, at 1915.
This incident is documented in NTSB report ANC00LA080. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N7437.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
A bear running onto the landing area during the landing flare. A factor associated with the accident was the high vegetation on the edge of the airstrip.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On June 25, 2000, about 2000 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N7437, sustained substantial damage when it contacted brush during landing on a remote airstrip on the Kustatan River, about 28 miles west-northwest of Nikiski, Alaska, at 60 degrees, 58 minutes north latitude, 152 degrees, 00 minutes west longitude. The private pilot and the one passenger on board received no injuries. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and departed the Arness Lake airstrip at Kenai, Alaska, at 1915. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) during a telephone interview on June 26, and wrote in her NTSB Pilot/Operator report, that during the landing flare on the 900 feet long by 45 feet wide gravel airstrip, a bear ran onto the landing area. The pilot said she maneuvered to avoid the bear and applied the brakes. The right wing contacted brush, and the airplane was pulled off the right side of the airstrip. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the both wingtips, and the tail assembly.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ANC00LA080