N792

On October 6, 2005, about 1130 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Aviat A-1B airplane, N792, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during the landing roll at an off airport landing site, about 13 miles southwest of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) public use instructional flight by the U.S. National Park Service, Fairbanks, when the accident occurred. The certificated flight instructor and dual student were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on October 9, the flight instructor, who was an employee of the National Park Service, said the Park Service was conducting a pilot training seminar where a mentor pilot (instructor) familiarizes other qualified pilots (dual student) with Park Service flight procedures, such as aerial animal surveys. He said he and the student performed the maneuvers discussed during the pre-mission briefing, and while returning to the airport, he asked the student if he wanted to do any other maneuvers. The student requested to practice off airport landings at the site where the accident occurred. The flight instructor said he felt his expectations and the outcome of the maneuver had not been properly communicated to the student, and that during the landing roll the student applied the brakes excessively, and the airplane nosed over. The instructor said prior to the accident there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, wings, lift-struts, and windshield.