The pilot of the wheel/ski-equipped Piper PA18 reported that during the landing roll-out on the dry, paved runway in Homer, Alaska, the airplane began to veer right, and he attempted to correct with left rudder and brake.
Subsequently, the tail lifted, the tips of the skis dug into the grooved pavement, and the airplane nosed over.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage and right-wing lift strut.
The pilot added that he should have been “more aggressive” with the rudder and braking sooner. He further reported the weather was “nice,” he had a long runway to utilize, but got “fooled into complacency”.
The pilot added that he felt the use of his flight helmet during the accident was essential to the prevention of injury.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s overapplication of the brakes during landing and the subsequent loss of directional control and nose-over.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This April 2020 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
