# NTSB ANC00LA100: Piper PA-18, N82962, Arctic Village, AK, August 15, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 14, 2000, 16:30 local (Aug 15, 2000, 00:30 UTC) - Place: Arctic Village, AK - Coordinates: 68.089317, -145.599914 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=68.0893&lon=-145.5999&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report July 2, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 50979 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC00LA100 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/50979/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC00LA100 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions, resulting in an inadvertent stall. A factor in the accident was the gusty winds. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, maneuvering - turn to reverse direction - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - Loss of control - in flight, maneuvering - turn to reverse direction - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The pilot departed another hunting camp, about two miles south of the accident site, about five minutes prior to the accident. The pilot said that he flew low across the intended landing site, pulled up and began his turn to return to land. He said that some flags tied to brush alongside the landing site were blowing in wind, and others were hanging limp. He said that during his low pass the airplane encountered a large gain, then loss, of airspeed. He said that as he made his turn, the airplane quit flying and one wing dropped. He described lowering the nose to attempt to increase airspeed, then pulling up just prior to contacting the ground. According to the pilot and witnesses, after the accident, dust devils were visible in the area. The pilot was wearing a helmet, and was restrained by both lap belt and shoulder harnesses. He sustained compressive fractures of the spine, but no head injuries. His helmet was split open, and the forward-left cockpit tube cluster and instrument panel were dented. ## Factual narrative On August 14, 2000, about 1630 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N82962, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain while maneuvering to land at an off airport landing site at the headwaters of the Sheenjek River, about 70 miles northeast of Arctic Village, Alaska, at 68 degrees, 56.3 minutes north latitude, 143 degrees, 39.1 minutes west longitude. The solo commercial pilot received serious injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, in support of the owner's hunting guide service. The flight departed another hunting camp, about two miles south of the accident site, about five minutes prior to the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a company VFR flight plan was filed. According to the pilot of the rescue helicopter which picked up the injured pilot, a witness said the airplane made a low pass over the intended landing site about 25 feet above ground level, and then turned downwind. The witness indicated the airplane then dropped to the ground. The witness stated the winds alternated between light, and gusting to 25 knots. The helicopter pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge that the airplane's left wing was bent upward, both main landing gear were deformed aft into the aft cabin, and the empennage was twisted and bent to the right. He also stated the pilot was wearing a seatbelt, shoulder harness, and helmet, at the time of the accident. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge, during a telephone interview on September 18, and wrote in his NTSB Pilot/Operator report, that he flew low across the intended landing site, pulled up and began his turn to return to land. He said that some flags tied to brush alongside the landing site were blowing in wind, and others were hanging limp. He said that during his low pass the airplane encountered a large gain, then loss, of airspeed. He said that as he made his turn, the airplane quit flying and one wing dropped. He described lowering the nose to attempt to increase airspeed, then pulling up just prior to contacting the ground. The pilot stated that after the accident, dust devils were visible in the area. The NTSB IIC interviewed the airplane's owner via telephone on August 16. The owner, who overflew the accident site within five minutes, had similar observations of the wind conditions at the accident site. The pilot was wearing a helmet, and was restrained by both lap belt and shoulder harnesses. He sustained compressive fractures of the spine, but no head injuries. His helmet was split open, and the forward-left cockpit tube cluster and instrument panel were dented. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N82962](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N82962), registered now, S/N 18-7909037 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-18 - Registry model: [Piper PA-18-150](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18-150) (registry code 7101828) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18-7909037 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Business, Part 91 - Operator: Rex W. Maurer, doing business as Jacques Adventure Co., Inc. - Registered owner: Jacques Adventure Company, Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: GRAVEL BAR, AK - Flight plan: Company VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: front; flight hours: 4,200 total, 1,000 in this make and model, 4,000 as pilot in command, 130 in the last 90 days, 60 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 90° at 20 knots, gusting 30 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 6,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 34 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000814009509A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000814009509A), Aug 14, 2000: Piper PA18150, No damage. (-23) Pilot made a low approach to a unimproved landing strip on the sheenjek river, Alaska. He dragged his tires on the runway and then attempted to depart… ## Other investigations on N82962 (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 ANC80DAG55](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC80DAG55), May 16, 1980: Piper PA-18 (N82962), Dillingham, AK, destroyed 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. --- 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.