# Accident 19980523010679A: Piper PA18150, Cold Bay, AK, May 23, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 23, 1998, 08:00 local time - Place: Cold Bay, AK - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 55.2192° N, 162.7802° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=55.2192&lon=-162.7802&mi=10 - Aircraft: N4058Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4058Z-2014-11-25) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-18-150 (registry code 7101828, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18-150) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA18150 - Reported engine: LYC O360A2A - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 780 total - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC98LA052](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC98LA052) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980523010679A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. LANDING ON REMOTE BEACH. WIND GUST BLEW PA18 OVER WATER. WING HIT A WAVE. SANK. (.4) ON MAY 23, 1998, ABOUT 0800 ALASK DAYLIGHT TIME, A TUNDRA TIRE EQUIPPED PIPER PA-18 AIRPLANE, N4058Z, WAS DESTROYED AFTER COLLIDING WITH OCEAN SURF, ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF COLD BAY, ALASKA. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED AS A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) PERSONAL FLIGHT UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE PRIVATE PILOT/AIRPLANE OWNER AND THE ONE PASSENGER ABOARD WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE COLD BAY AIRPORT, AT 0611. DURING A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE ON MAY 28, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS LANDING TO THE WEST ON A REMOTE BEACH ADJACENT TO THE BERING SEA. WHEN THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN, THE LEFT WING LIFTED, AND THE PILOTATTEMPTED TO ABORT THE LANDING BY APPLYING FULL POWER AND FULL LEFT AILERON. THE AIRPLANE BECAME AIRBORNE, VEERED TO THE RIGHT OVER THE TIDAL SURF, AND COLLIDED WITH A LARGE WAVE. THE AIRPLANE SANK, AND THE TWO OCCUPANTS SWAM ABOUT 50 YARDS TO SHORE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN FULL AILERON DEFLECTION DUE TO THE CONTROL STICK CONTACTING THE FLAP ACTUATION LEVER. NO ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE TO RECOVER THE AIRPLANE WRECKAGE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THERE WERE NO PREACCIDENT MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WITH THE AIRPLANE. HE WROTE IN HIS WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT WIND CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE ABOUT 220 DEGREES AT 8 KNOTS. (-23) ON MAY 23, 1998 AT APPROX. 0800 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A WHEEL EQUIPPED AIRPLANE, PIPER PA-18 N4058Z, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE WATER WHILE LANDING ON A BEACH IN THE VICINITY OF BECHEVIN BAY, ALASKA. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE FAR PART 91 FLIGHT WAS OPERATED IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH AN AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR ON 06-10-98, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS TRYING TO LAND ON A SLOPED BEACH WITH AN ON-SHORE WIND OF ABOUT 10 OR 15 KNOTS AND DUE TO THE SLOPE OF THE BEACH COULD NOT GET THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR TO THE SAND WITHOUT THE A/C YAWING TO THE LEFT. WHEN THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR DID FINALLY TOUCH THE SAND IT DUG IN AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TAKEOFF AND STRUCK THE SURF WITH THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR AND MUSHED INTO THE WATER. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ANC98LA052](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC98LA052), May 23, 1998: Piper PA-18 (N4058Z), Cold Bay, AK, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions. A factor associated with this accident was the presence of a crosswind. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.