Piper PA-18-150 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 16, 2022
On September 16, 2022 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 1979 Piper PA-18-150, registered N2340S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Anchorage, Alaska (Mountain airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadvertent application of the brakes during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over and substantial damage to the rudder and wings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2022 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Mountain · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150, built 1979 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N2340S · registry record · serial 18-7909134
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during the landing roll the airplane pitched nose forward and came to rest inverted on the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder and wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and stated that the accident may have been the result of inadvertent application of the heel brakes.
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
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Unintentional use/operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, military, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,850 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 2,836 as pilot in command; 1,156 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 9, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 640 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 600 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 26, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,426 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PALH Anchorage AK at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; a few clouds at 200 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from PANC, 33 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PANC 161953Z 06004KT 10SM FEW002 BKN070 OVC120 08/07 A2995 RMK AO2 SLP143 T00830072
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 20, 2022. 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 - Pilot | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Operator | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N2340S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.