- Date
- June 20, 2008, 16:00 local (Jun 21, 2008, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Willow, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N91256Piper PA-18
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA-AL-ANC FSDO 03
- FAA report
- 20080620841039A
- Case key
- 68307
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power during an aborted landing for an undetermined reason, which resulted in a collision with terrain and subsequent nose over.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was planning to land on a gravel bar, and he said that he first made a low pass over the landing area. When he added power to climb, the engine responded without hesitation. On his next approach to the gravel bar, he said that he touched down, but was not satisfied with his placement, and decided to abort the landing. He added engine power to takeoff, but the engine sputtered. The airplane skipped across an area of water and collided with an embankment and trees, about 400 feet from the initial aborted landing spot. The airplane nosed over, and received structural damage to the wings. The airplane and engine were not examined by NTSB or FAA personnel.
Factual narrative
On June 20, 2008, about 1600 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N91256, sustained substantial damage when it collided with an embankment and trees during an aborted landing at a remote gravel bar, about 16.5 miles west-northwest of Willow, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private certificated pilot, and the sole passenger, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on June 24, the pilot reported that he was landing toward the east on a gravel bar in the area of Neil Lake. He said that he first made a low pass over the landing area, and when he added power to climb, the engine responded without hesitation. On his next approach to the gravel bar, he said that he touched down, but was not satisfied with his placement, and decided to abort the landing. He added engine power to takeoff, but the engine sputtered. The airplane skipped across an area of water and collided with an embankment and trees, about 400 feet from the initial aborted landing spot. The airplane nosed over, and received structural damage to the wings. The airplane and engine were not examined by NTSB or FAA personnel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91256
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8309006
- Airframe hours
- 3,063
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kyle P. Carr
- Registered owner
- Kyle P. Carr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 20, 2007 · 24 hours before
- Departed
- Palmer, AK
- Destination
- Willow, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 9, 2007
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 650 total · 45 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.