Piper PA18 accident near Seward, Alaska, May 11, 2017
On May 11, 2017 at about 8:55 pm local time, a 1953 Piper PA18, registered N1258C, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Seward, Alaska (Seward airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's incorrect brake application during a high-speed taxi with a tailwind, 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
- May 11, 2017 · about 8:55 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Seward, Alaska · Seward · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA18 135, built 1953 · all PA18s on the register
- Registration
- N1258C · registry record · serial 18-2497
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that he was providing tailwheel instruction for the pilot, who was in the front seat of the tandem-seat airplane and did not possess a tailwheel endorsement. Following multiple landings earlier in the flight, the pilot was practicing a high-speed taxi in tailwind conditions. Upon reaching about 20 mph ground speed, "directional control began to be lost." Subsequently, the flight instructor applied brakes, and the airplane nosed over. The vertical stabilizer and left-wing lift strut sustained substantial damage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An automated weather observation station at the accident airport recorded that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 170° at 9 knots. The flight instructor reported they were taxiing north on runway 31.
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
- Other weather encounter during taxi
- Loss of control on ground during taxi defining event
- Nose over/nose down during taxi
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Braking capability › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,321 hours in all; 716 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 4,200 as pilot in command; 360 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 3, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,978.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 4,226 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SWD Seward AK
- Destination: SWD Seward AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 4,533 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from PAWD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 7, 2017. 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 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Ntsb_memo for Record_seward Police Department Incident Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | 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 N1258C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1258C on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub 3,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,839 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B 179 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Seward Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N1258C 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA17CA275.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.