Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's improper (excessive) use of the brakes after the airplane crested the landing site's crown and started downhill.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot landed the airplane on a ridge located 2000 feet above sea level. The landing area was 1100 feet long and had a lengthwise crown. The pilot stated the airplane touched down in the first 100 feet, and as it rolled over the crown, he began to apply brakes. The airplane's tail came up slowly, the propeller struck the ground, and the airplane nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On July 5, 1995, at 1330 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-20 airplane, N6946K, registered to and operated by the pilot, nosed over during the landing roll on a ridge in the Caribou Hills, north of Homer, Alaska. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Kenai, Alaska, and the destination was the ridge line on which the airplane crashed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The private certificated pilot and his passenger were not injured and the airplane received substantial damage. According to the pilot, the ridgeline on which he landed is at the 2000 foot level in the Caribou Hills and is 1100 feet long with a lengthwise crown. He landed the airplane in the first 100 feet of the ridge and when the airplane crested the crown he began braking. The airplane slowed down and the tail began to come up. The propeller struck the ground and the airplane continued to slowly nose over. -