Piper PA 12 accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, September 5, 2018
On September 5, 2018, a 1946 Piper PA 12, registered N7690H, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Talkeetna, 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 failure to maintain pitch control on uneven terrain during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2018
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 12 No Series, built 1946 · all PA 12s on the register
- Registration
- N7690H · registry record · serial 12-580
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, while landing uphill at an off-airport unimproved landing site where he had landed before, he applied the brakes, and that the airplane then hit a "bush or a bump," which caused the tail to rise. Subsequently, the propeller struck the ground, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage, fuselage, and wing spars. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 242.8 hours in all; 224.3 in this make and model; 82 in the last 90 days; 28.2 in the last 30 days; 192.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 12, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,715 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,933 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-A2B (piston); 80 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TKA Talkeetna AK
- Destination: Talkeetna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from PATK, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on December 13, 2018. 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 |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N7690H 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.