Individually Owned: 151,845
Corporate Owned: 143,699
Merrill Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Anchorage, Alaska 99502
Sunday, December 17, 2000 10:45 AST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The student pilot/owner of a tailwheel-equipped Piper airplane was receiving instruction in touch and go landings from a commercial certificated pilot/flight instructor. During the fourth landing, the student, who occupied the left seat, performed a wheel landing. The airplane began to drift slightly to the left of the centerline, and the student corrected the drift. According the Piper airplane instructor, the airplane encountered a sudden left crosswind. While still rolling on the main landing gear tires, the airplane began to slide on the runway surface to the right. The student pilot added full engine power to abort the landing. The flight instructor, who occupied the right seat, announced that he had the flight controls of the airplane, and attempted to regain control by holding left aileron and left rudder. When the instructor realized the airplane would not become airborne before departing the runway, he pulled the engine power to idle. The airplane continued to slide to the right, across a snow-covered grass area, and collided with a Cessna airplane that was taxiing southbound on a parallel taxiway. The Piper airplane did not have brakes installed at the flight instructor's station. Both airplanes received damage to their respective right wings and fuselage. The reported wind was variable at 5 knots.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The flight instructor's delayed remedial action during the landing roll, and subsequent on-ground collision with another airplane. Factors in the accident were the student pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane, and the lack of brake pedals at the flight instructor's station.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/17/2000 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1045 |
| Event Time Zone | Atlantic Standard Time |
| Event City | ANCHORAGE |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99502 |
| Event Date Year | 2000 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | Yes |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | MERRILL FIELD |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | PAMR |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 137 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1053 Atlantic Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PAM |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 137 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | AST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 7500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 4500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 19 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 10 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 4 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 11114 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Regional Operations Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 17 2000 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1050 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 4 2001 12:55PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
||
|---|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
Aircraft #2 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N5178H | N6414K |
| NTSB Number | ANC01LA025A | ANC01LA025B |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- | -- |
| Damage | Substantial | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Piper | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | PA-14 | 150M |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-14 | 150M |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 14-200 | 150-77690 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1850 | 1600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 16 2000 12:00AM | Nov 30 2000 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 15 | 44 |
| Airframe Hours | 2798 | 12174 |
| ELT Installed | Yes | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | RICHARD D. WESTLUND | AERO TECH FLIGHT SERVICE INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 22454 HILLTOP CIR. | 1100 MERRILL FIELD DR. |
| Aircraft Owner City | CHUGIAK | ANCHORAGE |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | ||
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99567 | 99501 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- | -- |
| Operator Name | ||
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | ||
| Operator City | ||
| Operator State | ||
| Operator Country | ||
| Operator Zip code | ||
| Operator Code | ||
| Owner has at least one certificate | None | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | PAMR | PAMR |
| Departure City | ||
| Departure State | ||
| Departure Country | ||
| Departure Time | 0 | 945 |
| Departure Time Zone | AST | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | ||
| Destination City | ||
| Destination State | ||
| Destination Country | ||
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Aug 9 2001 3:00PM | Jul 20 2001 4:04AM |
| User who most recently changed record | JOHB | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 33 | 0 |
| Runway Length | 2640 | -- |
| Runway Width | 75 | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No | No |
| Medical Flight | -- | -- |