Amateur-built SUPERCUB accident near Hoonah, Alaska, July 23, 2013
On July 23, 2013 at about 3:48 am local time, a 2011 amateur-built SUPERCUB, registered N13NV, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Hoonah, Alaska. 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 selection of an unsuitable off-airport landing site and his subsequent landing at too high of an airspeed, which resulted in his excessive use of brakes during the landing roll and resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2013 · about 3:48 am local time
- Place
- Hoonah, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SUPERCUB, built 2011
- Registration
- N13NV · registry record · serial AK18103
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped, experimental, amateur-built airplane on a soft, remote tidal beach. Friends familiar with the circumstances of the accident said that, while landing at the beach, the pilot inadvertently touched down faster than anticipated. During the landing roll on the soft beach, the pilot applied heavy braking, and the airplane subsequently nosed over. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane after recovery reported no preimpact mechanical problems with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear brakes system › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Surface speed/braking › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNU Juneau AK
- Destination: Hoonah AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 ANC13LA089.