ANC15LA063

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA 18-150 · Talkeetna, AK · August 9, 2015

Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
August 8, 2015, 19:00 local (Aug 9, 2015, 03:00 UTC)
Place
Talkeetna, AK
Injuries
1 serious
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Maneuvering
Aircraft
N9265DPiper PA 18-150
Defining event
Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report March 23, 2017
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
Parties
FAA Denali CMO
FAA report
20150808021689A
Case key
91803

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

Impact with terrain during low-level cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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.

Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotPiper PA-18-150: 160 casesAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: airspeedAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedPiper PA-18-150: 24 casesAll aircraft: 1,681 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: angle of attackAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedPiper PA-18-150: 10 casesAll aircraft: 990 casesProbable cause

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 returning home after delivering passengers to a remote hunting camp. He recalled flying about 500 ft above ground level and looking at the north side of a mountain. The next thing that he remembered was waking up with a broken leg and the airplane on the ground. He extracted himself from the wreckage and requested assistance via satellite phone. He had no recollection of the events leading up to the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and empennage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was not recovered from the accident site.

Factual narrative

On August 8, 2015, about 1900 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N9265D, was substantially damaged after a loss of control and a subsequent collision with terrain about 45 miles west of Talkeetna, Alaska. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a Federal Aviation Administration flight plan had not been filed for the flight. The pilot stated that he was returning home after dropping off some hunters at a remote hunting camp. During the flight home, flying about 500 feet above ground level, he was looking at the north side of Sleeping Lady mountain. The next thing that he remembered was after the airplane had crashed and he had a broken leg. He extracted himself from the wreckage, found a satellite phone and requested assistance. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, and empennage. A UH-60 helicopter from the Alaska Air National Guard located the accident site on the evening of the accident and transported the pilot to a medical facility for treatment. In the NTSB form 6120.1 submitted by the pilot, he noted that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He added that the airplane was not recovered from the accident site.

Aircraft

Registration
N9265D
Reported as
Piper PA 18-150
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18-6563
Built
1958
Airframe hours
3,467
Engine
Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · July 8, 2015
Departed
Z41 · Anchorage, AK
Destination
Z41 · Anchorage, AK
Equipment
None

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
38
Injuries
Serious
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
April 24, 2015
Seat
Front
Flight hours
8,000 total · 650 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
7,000 ft broken
Temperature
64 °F, dew point 54 °F
Altimeter
29.75 inHg
Observed at
PATK, 45 nm away

Docket · 1

The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 25, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.