Piper PA-18-150 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, April 18, 2000
On April 18, 2000 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N10100, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska (Goose Bay airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive application of heel brakes. A factor associated with this accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model of airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 2000 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · Goose Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N10100 · registry record · serial 18-8481
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo airline transport pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge that he was taxiing for takeoff in the newly purchased airplane. He indicated that when he applied the heel brakes, the airplane nosed over. This was his first flight in the airplane without the weight of another person in the back seat. The airplane was modified with a nose mounted battery, double puck brakes, and a boosted brake system. The pilot felt that the forward center of gravity and strong brake system, led the airplane to be prone to nose over with excessive braking. He said he was unfamiliar with the newly purchased aircraft, and did not compensate for this tendency.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,188 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 124 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 2,873 as pilot in command; 340 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,223 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 2000; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 Anchorage AK at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC00LA048.