# NTSB ANC24FA052: Piper PA-18-150, N645DT, Moose Pass, AK, June 18, 2024 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report - Date: June 18, 2024, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC) - Place: Moose Pass, AK - Coordinates: 60.45457, -149.48339 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=60.4546&lon=-149.4834&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Unknown](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/990) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Unknown: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Investigation ongoing - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA Juneau Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 194497 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC24FA052 - NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/194497/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC24FA052 ## Preliminary report On June 18, 2024, about 1400 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N645DT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Moose Pass, Alaska. The instructor pilot and the pilot receiving instruction were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. According to the operator, Alaska Float Ratings, the pilot receiving instruction, seated in the front seat, and the instructor pilot, seated in the rear seat, departed Trail Lake, Moose Pass, about 1245, with an anticipated return time of no later than 1430. When the airplane failed to return, the operator initiated a search for the overdue airplane, and found portions of floating wreckage on Crecent Lake. Search personnel from the Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Air National Guard, along with several volunteers, were dispatched to conduct an extensive search of the area, and the shoreline. The operator reported that the purpose of the flight was to provide the pilot receiving instruction with dual flight training as part of a single engine sea add-on rating. The operator added that at the time of departure, the planned destination was Bench Lake, and the airplane departed with 25 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel onboard. Two witnesses, located at the northeast shoreline of Crescent Lake, reported passively watching the accident airplane perform several touch-and-go landings near the middle of the lake. They said that as the airplane continued a northeasterly approach for another touch-and-go, at an estimated 400 ft above the water, their attention was drawn to the airplane after it pitched down in a nose low attitude, and as it began a slight counterclockwise rotation before impacting the water. One witness recalled seeing the airplane pitch up slightly just before impact. Shortly after impact, the airplane wreckage sank below the surface of the lake. On June 19, members from the Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska Army Guard, and Alaska State Troopers traveled to Crescent Lake to conduct an underwater search for the airplane wreckage using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The team subsequently located the submerged wreckage at 194 ft below the surface. Underwater ROV footage revealed that the left float was liberated from the airplane. The left wing exhibited damage to the inboard leading edge consistent with impact from the left float. On June 20, the recovery teams, along with deep water divers from the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team, returned to Crecent Lake and recovered the submerged airplane wreckage from the bottom of the lake, along with the two occupants, then moved it to the shoreline. The wreckage has been recovered to a secure facility for a detailed examination, which is pending. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Unknown: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-18-150, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md?model=7101828), [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N645DT](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N645DT), registered now, S/N 18-8309022, built 1982 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-18-150 - 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: 18-8309022 - Year built: 1982 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: Alaska Float Ratings - Registered owner: Scenic Mountain Air Inc - Departed: N/A, Moose Pass, AK - Destination: N/A, Moose Pass, AK - Flight plan: Company VFR ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 55 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 30.08 inHg - Observed at: PAWD, 20 nm away - METAR: PAWD 182153Z AUTO 18009KT 10SM CLR 13/07 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP187 T01280067 TSNO ## 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 20240618012929A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240618012929A), Jun 18, 2024: Piper PA-18-150, Moose Pass, AK, Substantial damage, 2 fatal. PA-18-150, fatal accident aircraft, 2 persons on board, both deceased. Accident occurred approximately 1400 local on 18 June 2024 at crescent lake, near Moose… ## Other investigations on N645DT (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 ANC20CA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC20CA006), Oct 13, 2019: Piper PA18 (N645DT), Moose Pass, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's improper approach, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from a tree while landing in dusk conditions, and his subsequent loss of directional control, which resulted in a… 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.