- Date
- January 13, 2023, 12:01 local (21:01 UTC)
- Place
- Glennallen, AK · Mining airstrip
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5373YPiper PA-18-180
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 106664
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
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during a drag maneuver, which resulted in an overrun and subsequent impact with terrain.
Findings · 2
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 reported that, before landing his wheel/ski-equipped airplane at a snow-covered airstrip, he elected to “drag” the site, which involved doing a series of touch-and-go landings to determine the snow conditions before doing a full stop landing. He said that after completing two successful drags on the untouched snow, during the third, he inadvertently allowed the airspeed to decay, and he was unable to get airborne again. The airplane subsequently passed the end of the airstrip and impacted a snow-covered gravel berm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5373Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8140
- Airframe hours
- 4,688
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 16, 2022 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- 5L6 · Wasilla, AK
- Destination
- 3AK1 · Eureka, AK
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 69
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 9, 2021
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,060 total · 2,060 in this make and model · 2,060 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- 77 nm away
- METAR
- PAWS 132056Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM BKN090 M07/M11 A2949 RMK AO2 SLP996 T10671111 58002 FZRANO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 27, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 MB in all.
Other investigations on N5373Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.