Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Cessna A185F Skywagon, N4756E: Incident occurred December 20, 2017 on Eagle Lake, Aroostook County, Maine

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Portland, Maine

Aircraft landed on lake, went through ice.

Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife

http://registry.faa.gov/N4756E

Date: 20-DEC-17
Time: 16:15:00Z
Regis#: N4756E
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: A185F
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
City: EAGLE LAKE
State: MAINE





A Maine Warden Service airplane has been safely removed from the ice on Eagle Lake.

With the assistance of a Maine Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, the Cessna 185 aircraft was retrieved without incident.

On Wednesday, Game Warden Pilot Jeff Spencer, based out of Eagle Lake, was returning from a bear telemetry flight in his assigned Cessna 185 aircraft equipped with skis.

Due to strong winds that morning, Pilot Spencer chose to alter his normal landing pattern slightly onto Eagle Lake.

After landing, Pilot Spencer proceeded to taxi across the ice toward the Warden Service Plane Base located on the west shore of Eagle Lake. While taxiing, Pilot Spencer crossed an area of thin ice and the aircraft broke through. Pilot Spencer was able to exit the aircraft without injury. The aircraft became partially submerged but was suspended by its wings and tail.

Maine Warden Service Chief Pilot, Jeff Beach, stated this afternoon that it appeared the aircraft sustained no structural damage. The engine and avionics are currently being dried in the Warden Service hangar at Eagle Lake. Critical components will be assessed for any possible damage in the coming weeks. Attached photo courtesy of the Maine Warden Service. Photo of the Warden Service Cessna 185 in the Eagle Lake hangar.


http://www.wagmtv.com




EAGLE LAKE, Maine — A Fort Kent man on Friday captured video of a Black Hawk helicopter retrieving a Maine Warden Service plane that went through the ice on Eagle Lake earlier this week.

The Cessna 185 broke through the ice just after 11 a.m. on Dec. 20 as warden pilot Jeff Spencer was returning from a bear telemetry flight. The warden service reported that the ice thickness near the base had been checked on Dec. 18 and determined safe for aircraft operations. Strong winds on Wednesday, however, caused the pilot to alter his normal landing pattern on the lake.

“After landing, Pilot Spencer proceeded to taxi across the ice toward the Warden Service Plane Base located on the west shore of Eagle Lake,” Cpl. John MacDonald of the warden service said in a press release on Wednesday night . “While taxing, Pilot Spencer crossed an area of thin ice and the aircraft broke through.”

Spencer was able to exit the aircraft without injury, but the plane became partially submerged and was suspended by its wings and tail.

George Dumond, who used to pilot fixed wing single engine airplanes captured the plane recovery operation on his cell phone from the shore near Route 11 on the lake’s west side.

“The recovered airplane was hoisted to the warden plane base on Eagle Lake and not many people were allowed in that area for safety reasons. I did notice that vehicles were parked by the road on both sides of the lake observing the action,” he told the Fiddlehead Focus Friday afternoon.

Dumond said the operation appeared to be a success and “there were quite a few people on the ice helping to cut and chip away at the ice.”

“The plane did not appear to have much physical damage but I can assure you that the plane’s avionics were most likely destroyed due to being submerged under water,” he said.

MacDonald was off on Friday but said he had requested a summary of the extraction operation from the wardens involved and would provide that information once it becomes available.

Dumond also said he saw some men from a waste recovery company in the area. He assumed they were there to recover any fuel or oil that might spill during the recovery effort, but added that it “looks like none of that happened.”

He said someone on the scene told him the warden service waited a few days for the cold weather to add several more inches of ice to the lake before having crews go out on the lake and attempting to recover the plane.

The plane is one of four aircraft operated by the warden service.

The Eagle Lake Plane Base has been in operation since 1949 and ski equipped aircraft have been used by the Warden Service since the 1940’s for biological, search and rescue and law enforcement operations, MacDonald said in the earlier press release.


Story and video:  https://thecounty.me



Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife


Game warden pilot escapes injury in Aroostook County

A game warden pilot escaped injury today after his aircraft broke through thin ice after landing on Eagle Lake. Just after 11:00 this morning, Game Warden Pilot Jeff Spencer, based out of Eagle Lake, was returning from a bear telemetry flight in his assigned Cessna 185 aircraft equipped with skis. Due to strong winds this morning, Pilot Spencer chose to alter his normal landing pattern slightly onto Eagle Lake.

After landing, Pilot Spencer proceeded to taxi across the ice toward the Warden Service Plane Base located on the west shore of Eagle Lake. While taxiing, Pilot Spencer crossed an area of thin ice and the aircraft broke through. Pilot Spencer was able to exit the aircraft without injury. The aircraft became partially submerged but was suspended by its wings and tail.

Just two days prior on December 18th, several test holes were drilled in various locations near the plane base and the ice was determined safe for aircraft operations. Several takeoffs and landings at this location had been made by Pilot Spencer since Monday the 18th. The aircraft is a 1979 Cessna 185 and is one of four aircraft operated by the Maine Warden Service. Logistics for removing the aircraft are ongoing. The full extent of damage to the aircraft is unknown at this time.

The Eagle Lake Plane Base has been in operation since 1949 and ski equipped aircraft have been used by the Warden Service since the 1940’s for biological, search and rescue and law enforcement operations. We feel very fortunate this evening that Warden Pilot Jeff Spencer escaped this incident without injury.

Original article can be found here ➤ https://www1.maine.gov

EAGLE LAKE, Maine — A Maine Warden Service plane went through the ice on Eagle Lake Wednesday afternoon, according to a local man who took a photo of just the tail end sticking out of the water.

Peter Pinette, who lives in a home next to the lake along with his wife Sandra, said that he did not witness the accident but that a relative who lives across the lake contacted the family to tell them about it and warn them not to go out on the lake.

“I went down and there’s a plane sitting through the ice,” he said.

Pinette said a neighbor told him that the pilot had gotten out and was safe.

When contacted by email for comment, Cpl. John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service confirmed that the pilot was safe but provided no other details about the incident. He said the department was still gathering information and that a press release would be issued later.

Sandra Pinette posted her husband’s photo of the submerged plane surrounded by ice on her Facebook page to warn others of the potential danger of going out on the lake.

“My wife posted on Facebook that the lake is not safe and to be careful because this is what happened. Nobody should be on the lake without testing it,” Peter Pinette said.

He added that last Friday he and his adult son measured the ice on the lake and found it to be unsafe.

“My son and I were cutting holes to see the thickness of the ice and near the shore it was about six to eight inches. As we were going out to the center it was dropping down in size to four inches. One place had three inches and we decided that was it. We walked back. We weren’t going any further. It’s not a good situation,” he said.

Original article can be found here ➤ https://thecounty.me

What to Do When Your Airport Is Too Big: Pittsburgh is one of several midsize cities taking costly steps to resize their airports for a new set of needs on the ground

The Wall Street Journal 
By Scott McCartney
Dec. 20, 2017 10:33 a.m. ET


Pittsburgh

They built the wrong airport terminal here.

When the new Pittsburgh International Airport terminal opened 25 years ago, it was seen as the airport of the future. Planes could taxi all the way around the gate areas with no alley or buildings to slow arrivals and departures. It had a shopping mall and an advanced baggage system. And it had a half-mile train ride to gates, because nothing says modern airport like a train.

Now the airport’s speedy obsolescence stands as a symbol of how much air travel has changed. The expansive check-in area is largely empty—few travelers interact with anyone at the check-in counter anymore. The small security screening area—built before 9-11—is overwhelmed. Lines typically reach the terminal door and stretch back to parking in the morning.

“It was built for another time,” says Christina Cassotis, chief executive of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates PIT.

Airports across the country are finding they need to do more than just upgrade food, power outlets and pet-relief areas. Some need major systems upgrades, as the Atlanta power outage painfully demonstrated. And some need to rebuild to keep up with changes in the industry.




Airline consolidation has shifted traffic dramatically for some airports, forcing places like Los Angeles International to undertake a massive rearrangement of terminals. Others have had to deal with dramatic service losses when airlines shut down medium-size hubs in the middle of the country.

Phone apps, kiosks and self bag-tagging have shrunk some airport needs; security requirements have expanded others. The popularity of ride-sharing services has decreased parking, rental-car and taxi revenue for many airports, and prompted big questions like whether to build new garages.

The trade association Airports Council International-North America estimates that U.S. airports face nearly $100 billion in infrastructure needs over the next four years. Airports are urging Congress to raise the $4.50 cap on the passenger facility charge that each airport can include in a departing passenger’s ticket. Airlines oppose the fee hike.

With or without the increase, airports are pushing ahead. Local voters approved a $1 billion plan in November to build a single new terminal at Kansas City International Airport to replace the three circular terminals that opened in 1972, before passenger and baggage screening was required.

Pittsburgh has approval for its own $1.1 billion rebuilding, which it says will actually lower costs and not require any increase above the $4.50 passenger fee.

The airport built for the convenience of connecting passengers now has few out-of-towners just passing through. But it remains inconvenient for locals. There are few covered parking spaces in a snow-belt city and long walks from parking spaces. The train you have to ride from gates to the street is unnecessary and costs over $4 million a year to run.




Three years ago Ms. Cassotis arrived and began a campaign to convince the community that the hub was never coming back. Cities love airport hubs—the local residents and businesses get nonstop flights to many more cities than local traffic alone can support. (They also typically pay higher fares, because a single airline has dominant market share.) Plentiful air service can help attract corporate relocations and conventions.

“It’s very hard for a community that has had all that service to understand that’s not their future,” she says.

Her staff had been struggling with a master plan—how could they rework the existing terminal into what Pittsburgh needed, not what a hub airline needed?

The airport has two big buildings—one “landside” for check-in and security screening, and a second “airside,” with gates laid out in a large X formation. The underground train connects them. The airport wanted to consolidate into one building with a big new security area, single baggage system and short walks. The check-in area would be only half its current size. A new transportation center across the street from the terminal would include covered parking.

Ms. Cassotis, a longtime airport consultant who had never run one herself, met monthly with some mentors for advice when she started the job. Former Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport CEO Jeff Fegan drew an idea on a napkin over dinner: Eliminate 24 gates of the 75 gates to build a new landside building, filling in the bottom of the X, and attach the two structures together.

“It’s a smaller space overall, but way more efficient,” Ms. Cassotis says.

The airport authority approved the plan in September, and Pittsburgh expects to break ground on the three-year project in 2019.

The airport is growing again, aided by the strong local economy. Passenger traffic is up 7.7% this year and Pittsburgh has 72 nonstop destinations, up from a low of 37. (The peak from its days as a US Airways hub was 110.) The airport has recruited discount carriers like WOW and Condor from Europe, and new types of carriers like OneJet, which flies scheduled service on small business jets on routes abandoned by airlines. Southwest now carries the most passengers at Pittsburgh, slightly ahead of American, which merged with US Air in 2013.

The 1992 building was so focused on connecting passengers, it provided no exit for international arriving passengers except going through security screening. This is normal for connecting customers boarding domestic flights, but almost unheard of for sleepy locals who just want to get to their cars.

“People hated that,” says Paul Hoback, senior vice president of facilities.

So the airport knocked a new exit through a wall. When international flights touch down, security guards commandeer an employee hallway and use an emptied-out storage room to get arriving passengers whose final destination is Pittsburgh to the airport train. They have to ride in a single train car with a guard who makes sure they exit.

To alleviate the baggage system problems, the airport spent $1 million to move Southwest’s check-in area and put the airline on American’s 8-mile-long automated baggage system. But Southwest found the system too slow for arriving customers—it took more than 20 minutes for bags to travel to carousels.

Southwest went old-school, driving bags in tugs straight to baggage claim. The airline uses the automated system for outbound bags only.

Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.wsj.com

Kuwait Is Investigating Military Helicopter Deal With Airbus: Accusations of corruption have put Europe’s largest plane and helicopter maker in regulators crosshairs

Kuwait said Wednesday it is investigating a military helicopter agreement with Airbus SE. Tom Enders is chief executive of Europe’s largest plane and helicopter maker.



The Wall Street Journal
By Robert Wall
Dec. 20, 2017 2:57 p.m. ET


LONDON—Kuwait said Wednesday it was investigating a military helicopter deal with Airbus SE, adding to the pressure on the European aerospace giant that is facing management turnover and multiple fraud investigations.

A Kuwaiti government spokesman said a deal for military transport helicopters was referred to the country’s National Anti-Corruption Commission as well as the State Audit Bureau on request of the prime minister, according to Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA. Airbus had no comment.

Airbus in recent years announced two deals with Kuwait for the helicopter type subject of the probe. It disclosed a deal for 24 of them in 2015 and another for a further 30 last year. Both deals have a price tag over $1 billion. It wasn’t immediately clear which deal was under review, or the nature of the alleged infraction.

Accusations of corruption and other wrongdoing have put Airbus, Europe’s largest plane and helicopter maker, in the crosshairs of regulators, including in the U.S. French authorities in November raided Airbus’s offices as part of an investigation into business conducted in Kazakhstan.

In the U.S., France and Britain, authorities also are investigating the company’s unsanctioned use of middlemen to win deals.

In Austria, its actions are being investigated about alleged misdeeds in a combat jet deal more than a decade ago. Chief Executive Tom Enders is among those being investigated. Airbus has said it cooperating with the probes.

Airbus last week said Mr. Enders would leave the company at the end of his current contract in 2019. The company said the move was part of its succession planning.

Also leaving Airbus is commercial plane boss Fabrice Brégier, who will exit next year, the company said. He is being replaced by Guillaume Faury, head of Airbus’s helicopter business.

Mr. Enders has warned that resolving the regulatory issues could take years and be costly.

—Nicolas Parasie contributed to this article.

Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.wsj.com

Sharp Nemesis NXT, C-FRXT: Fatal accident occurred December 20, 2017 at Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport, Panama City



Ron Simard died doing what he loved.  

Simard, the brother of former Saskatchewan health minister and MLA Louise Simard, was the pilot of a small plane that crashed in Panama City on Wednesday.

Originally from Meadow Lake, Sask., he had been living in Chame, in southwest Panama, with his wife. His two daughters and son live in Canada.

"He loved airplanes," Louise Simard told CBC. A former lawyer and politician, Simard served as an MLA with the Saskatchewan NDP from 1986 to 1995, and was the health minister for the latter four years. She also served as the president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations and later the Health Employers Association of British Columbia before returning to Regina, where she now works as a freelancer. 

"That was a passion of his; he was doing what he really enjoyed…. As a kid, his ceiling at home was filled with model airplanes hanging from it. Ever since he was very young, he was working on model airplanes and then later on real ones."




Building planes longtime hobby

Ron Simard was an engineer and travelled the world for his work, his sister said. He had lived in Indonesia, England, France, Ireland and the U.S. before settling in Panama with his wife.

Most recently, he had been working as a racing technician with Red Bull Air Race, an international series of air races.

Building airplanes was a longtime hobby. He built a Glasair, which he flew all over North America, she said.

"These are very light planes — very, very light and very fast. That thing would go 300 miles an hour [483 km/h]."

'A large personality'

The plane he was flying at the time of the crash was a Nemesis NXT, which she said is even faster than the Glasair.

"He was going all the time. He was a large personality and he loved life. We're going to miss him a lot."

The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the Marcos A. Gelabert airport in Panama City. At the time of the crash, he had been flying an experimental plane that he had built, and had had it for about five years.

The investigation is ongoing.

Story and photo gallery ➤  http://www.cbc.ca

Ronald F E Simard: http://www.regosearch.com/C-FRXT



  El experimentado piloto canadiense Ron Simard, de 70 años, murió hoy al estrellarse con su avioneta en el aeropuerto de la capital panameña cuando trataba de despegar, informaron a Efe fuentes de la Autoridad Aeronáutica Civil (AAC).

El accidente tuvo lugar a las 13.24 hora local (18.24 GMT) en el Aeropuerto Marcos A.Gelabert, ubicado en el barrio de Albrook y en una antigua base militar estadounidense a orillas del Canal de Panamá colindante con la ciudad, detalló la fuente.

El director de la AAC, Alfredo Fonseca Mora, dijo a los periodistas que Simmard “residía desde hace años en Panamá, estaba habilitado como piloto y a la comunidad aeronáutica nos causa mucha consternación su pérdida”.

Aclaró que en la pequeña aeronave solo viajaba el piloto al momento del siniestro.

El fallecido fue descrito como un veterano ingeniero que viajaba frecuentemente en esa aeronave entre la capital y la localidad costera de Chame, a 100 kilómetros al oeste.

Vídeos aficionados muestran el momento en que la aeronave al despegar pierde el control y se voltea de cabeza a poca altura antes de precipitarse a tierra por razones desconocidas hasta el momento.

Fonseca dijo que todavía es “muy pronto” para dar con la causa del accidente aéreo.

Story, photo and video:  https://www.lapatilla.com



PANAMA CITY (AP) - Authorities in Panama say a Canadian pilot has died after crashing in his small plane shortly after takeoff.

Video published by local media show the aircraft plunging into the ground Wednesday after departing from the Marcos A. Gelabert airport, next to a shopping mall in Panama City.

Capt. Robert Katz of Panama's Civil Aviation authority says the man had sold the plane and planned to fly it to the U.S. for delivery.

Katz says he watched the takeoff and "obviously it was very shocking."

Aviation authorities have identified the pilot as retired Canadian aeronautical engineer Ron Simard.

A Facebook profile matching that name says the user lives in Chame in southwestern Panama and is from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan.

Phone calls to the Canadian Embassy in Panama were not answered.

Ron Simard died Wednesday after his small plane crashed shortly after takeoff near Panama City.

PANAMÁ  --   Un piloto canadiense aficionado a las carreras aéreas falleció el miércoles cuando la avioneta que volaba se estrelló tras despegar en un aeropuerto de la capital panameña, informó la autoridad de aeronáutica civil.

En videos de aficionados divulgados por los medios locales puede verse cuando la aeronave se precipita a tierra tras desplazarse a baja altura sobre la pista del aeropuerto Marcos A. Gelabert, el segundo más importante en la capital y aledaño a uno de los principales centros comerciales.

El capitán y único ocupante de la avioneta murió en el percance, registrado a las 13:24 horas, informaron las autoridades aeronáuticas en su cuenta de Twitter. Lo identificaron como Ron Simard, un ingeniero aeronáutico canadiense ya jubilado. No precisaron su edad.

El capitán Robert Katz, subdirector de Aeronáutica Civil y que presenció el accidente, dijo a los medios que el canadiense llegó a la capital para cargar combustible desde un sector del oeste del país, con el fin de llevarse la avioneta a Estados Unidos el 28 de diciembre. Agregó que la había vendido e iba a entregarla en ese viaje.

Katz aseguró que habló con el canadiense en el aeropuerto antes del percance y que habían planeado verse el domingo.

“Me quedé viendo el despegue y claro, fue muy impactante”, señaló.

El director de Aeronáutica Civil, Alfredo Fonseca Mora, dijo también en el aeropuerto que Simard, al que conocía, había armado antes la aeronave. Los funcionarios panameños también refirieron que el piloto competía en carreras aéreas.

The Associated Press telefoneó más temprano a la oficina de la embajada canadiense en la capital para conocer información sobre Simard, pero la llamada fue dirigida a un buzón de voz. Aeronáutica Civil dijo que investiga las causas del percance.

Airlines battle growing pilot shortage that could reach crisis levels in a few years



It's a great time to be studying to be pilot. Just ask Madison Wolf who has only a year of training left at the Metro State University of Denver.

"I've seen even just in the few years that I've been at it they've been offering more and more money,” Wolf said. “They're just trying to get as many people as they can."

That's because a shortage of pilots is already hitting some sectors of the industry, mostly small regional airlines and ultra-low cost carriers.

Aviation analyst Mike Boyd says the major airlines are only just beginning to feel the pinch.

"There are restrictions, if you will, on how many pilots there are but it hasn't really hit home yet,” Boyd said. “The real hit's going to be in the next three to five years."

The Boeing Pilot Outlook predicts a need for 117,000 new pilots between 2017 and 2036 in North America alone. Worldwide, the demand for new pilots will be an astounding 637,000 during the same period.

"I see the pilot shortage myself," Wolf said. "We're so short on instructors sometimes. Every few months the regional airlines kind of come through and sweep out all the qualified instructors."

MSU's Kevin Kuhlmann, associate chair of the Aviation and Aerospace Science Department, said airlines are going to aviation schools for new hires because they have few other choices.

"The regional carriers have started to enter into agreements with Collegiate Aviation Programs and entice students to come on board during their academic career,” Kuhlmann said. “These kind of opportunities were not available five or more years ago."

Kuhlmann said the major airlines have plans to do the same – recruit directly from universities instead of hiring from regional airlines or the military, both of which are trying to keep their own pilots from leaving.

Scott Frank just graduated from MSU and has already been tapped for an opportunity with a major airline.

"I do have the United internship that's due to start in the spring. I can pretty much skip that regional area and just go straight to United," he said.

Many, like Boyd, blame Washington for the dearth of qualified pilots. They cite the 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo, which the National Transportation Safety Board blamed, in part, on pilot error.

Congress then upped the flying hours pilots needed to qualify to fly commercially from 250 to 1,500.

"That sounds good," Boyd admits. "Politicians love it and they get all upset if you try to change it. But the fact is that wouldn't have prevented that crash because both the pilots (on the Colgan flight) had more than that."

The Air Line Pilots Association, International says the 1,500-hour rule must stay.

"We shouldn't be addressing a safety regulation to mitigate a commercial market problem," according to the association’s president, Capt. Tim Canoll.

ALPA also denies there is a shortage of qualified pilots to begin with, citing Federal Aviation Administration statistics that show 9,520 new pilots received their Airline Transport Certificates in 2016, qualifying them to fly large aircrafts used by major airlines.

The union compares that number to another from Future & Active Pilot Advisors, which shows the major airlines hired only 4,113 new pilots in 2016.

"There are twice as many pilots as there are jobs," Canoll said. "Those having trouble attracting that pilot to the job are the ones who aren't providing a living wage, a good work-life balance, a career progression and a good balance in benefits."

Most agree that something needs to change.

Story and video ➤ http://www.foxnews.com

Piper PA-22-108, N4805Z: Accident occurred December 18, 2017 at Yentna Bend Strip (0AK2), Willow, Alaska

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Anchorage, Alaska

Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms   

http://registry.faa.gov/N4805Z


Location: Yentna, AK
Accident Number: GAA18CA090
Date & Time: 12/18/2017, 1300 AKS
Registration: N4805Z
Aircraft: PIPER PA22
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control on ground
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

Analysis

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, while landing on an unimproved snow-covered airstrip, the left main tire dug into snow and the airplane veered left. Subsequently, the airplane sank in the softer snow off the left side of the airstrip and nosed over.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a loss of directional control and subsequent nose-over. 

Findings

Aircraft
Directional control - Not attained/maintained (Cause)

Personnel issues
Aircraft control - Pilot (Cause)
Decision making/judgment - Pilot (Cause)

Environmental issues
Snowy/icy terrain - Decision related to condition (Cause)
Soft surface - Effect on operation
Snowy/icy terrain - Effect on operation

Factual Information

History of Flight

Landing
Miscellaneous/other
Loss of control on ground (Defining event)
Nose over/nose down

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private
Age: 27, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Lap Only
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 09/06/2014
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 06/28/2017
Flight Time:  (Estimated) 87 hours (Total, all aircraft), 2 hours (Total, this make and model), 60 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 5 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 1 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 1 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft) 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Manufacturer: PIPER
Registration: N4805Z
Model/Series: PA22 108
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1961
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 22-8372
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 05/08/2017, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 1650 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 1583.5 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-235 SERIES
Registered Owner: Benjamin Harper
Rated Power: 108 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: PATK, 356 ft msl
Observation Time: 2153 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 39 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 24°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Temperature/Dew Point: -18°C / -21°C
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility:  10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: Calm
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 30.18 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: PALMER, AK (PAQ)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Yentna, AK (0AK2)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1200 AKS
Type of Airspace: Class G

Airport Information

Airport: YENTNA BEND STRIP (0AK2)
Runway Surface Type: Dirt; Gravel; Snow
Airport Elevation: 81 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Rough; Snow; Soft
Runway Used: 3
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 1500 ft / 50 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Full Stop; Traffic Pattern 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude:  61.731389, -150.672222 (est)

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Anchorage, Alaska

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms 
  
http://registry.faa.gov/N4805Z

Location: Yentna, AK
Accident Number: GAA18CA090
Date & Time: 12/18/2017, 1300 AKS
Registration: N4805Z
Aircraft: PIPER PA22
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control on ground
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, while landing on an unimproved snow-covered airstrip, the left main tire dug into snow and the airplane veered left. Subsequently, the airplane sank in the softer snow off the left side of the airstrip and nosed over.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private
Age: 27, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Lap Only
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 09/06/2014
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 06/28/2017
Flight Time:  (Estimated) 87 hours (Total, all aircraft), 2 hours (Total, this make and model), 60 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 5 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 1 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 1 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft) 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Manufacturer: PIPER
Registration: N4805Z
Model/Series: PA22 108
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1961
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 22-8372
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 05/08/2017, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 1650 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 1583.5 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-235 SERIES
Registered Owner: Benjamin Harper
Rated Power: 108 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: PATK, 356 ft msl
Observation Time: 2153 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 39 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 24°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Temperature/Dew Point: -18°C / -21°C
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility:  10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: Calm
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 30.18 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: PALMER, AK (PAQ)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Yentna, AK (0AK2)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1200 AKS
Type of Airspace: Class G

Airport Information

Airport: YENTNA BEND STRIP (0AK2)
Runway Surface Type: Dirt; Gravel; Snow
Airport Elevation: 81 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Rough; Snow; Soft
Runway Used: 3
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 1500 ft / 50 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Full Stop; Traffic Pattern 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude:  61.731389, -150.672222 (est)

Aviat A-1B Husky, N33HY: Accident occurred December 19, 2017 at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (KDVT), Maricopa County, Arizona

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board:  https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

http://registry.faa.gov/N33HY

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board

Location: Phoenix, AZ
Accident Number: GAA18CA091
Date & Time: 12/19/2017, 1515 MST
Registration: N33HY
Aircraft: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control on ground
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

According to the pilot in the tailwheel equipped airplane, his intent was to perform a wheel landing, but during touchdown, the airplane bounced, and a gust of wind lifted the left wing. The pilot applied left stick and right rudder to maintain directional control. The left wing settled, the nose of the airplane yawed to the right, and the tailwheel settled to the runway. The pilot applied aft stick and left rudder, but the left wing lifted again, and the nose yawed to the left. The right wing struck the ground and the airplane exited the runway to the left, where the right main landing gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest on the right wingtip and began leaking fuel.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private
Age: 57, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Front
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 4-point
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 11/27/2017
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 04/21/2016
Flight Time:  (Estimated) 247 hours (Total, all aircraft), 58 hours (Total, this make and model), 138 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 12 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 8 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 1 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Manufacturer: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC
Registration: N33HY
Model/Series: A-1 B
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2007
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 2410
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 09/19/2017, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2200 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 718 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: C126 installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-360-A1P
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 180 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KDVT, 1455 ft msl
Observation Time: 2153 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 129°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Temperature/Dew Point: 17°C / 1°C
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility:  10 Miles
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: Calm
Visibility (RVR): 
Altimeter Setting: 30.16 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Phoenix, AZ (DVT)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Phoenix, AZ (DVT)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1400 MST
Type of Airspace: Class D

Airport Information

Airport: PHOENIX DEER VALLEY (DVT)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 1478 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 25L
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 8196 ft / 100 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Full Stop; Traffic Pattern

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude:  33.688333, -112.082500 (est)