Cub Crafters INC CC18-180 accident near Palmer, Alaska, September 26, 2011
On September 26, 2011 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cub Crafters INC CC18-180, registered N907CF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Palmer, Alaska. It was a public-use flight (state) under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 the brakes during landing, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2011 · about 10:15 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cub Crafters INC CC18-180 · all CC18-180s on the register
- Registration
- N907CF · registry record · serial CC18-0045
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight (state) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and the pilot-receiving-instruction were on a public aircraft training flight. The pilot on the controls said that they had made numerous landings at several locations during the day. During the accident landing, he said he applied what he felt was appropriate braking pressure, but the airplane abruptly nosed over and sustained substantial damage. During an examination of the airplane at the accident site by the operator's mechanics, the main wheels rotated freely, and the brakes operated normally.
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
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,885 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 7,535 as pilot in command; 1,730 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 420 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 323 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 28, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 165 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 26, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C4P (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alaska Department of Public Safety
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 Anchorage AK at 4:20 pm
- Destination: Palmer AK
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:53 pm from PAAQ, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 26, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Frey) | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Duell) | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N907CF on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cub Crafters Inc CC18 51 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C4P 102 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC11TA109.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.