- Date
- September 21, 2024, 11:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bettles, AK · 40 miles south of Bettles
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N808PTPiper PA-22-150
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Windshear or thunderstorm
- 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
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20240921014449A
- Case key
- 195168
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 adequately compensate for shifting wind conditions, resulting in a hard landing.
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 reported that, while taking off from a lake in a float-equipped airplane in variable, gusty wind conditions, the wind shifted to a quartering tailwind which forced the airplane back onto the water. The hard landing resulted in substantial damage to the lift struts and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N808PT
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-4644
- Built
- 1956
- Airframe hours
- 5,626.9
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-a1a, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 135
- Operator
- Dancing Bear Alaska, LLC
- Registered owner
- Dancing Bear Alaska, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 3, 2024 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- PABT · Bettles, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PABT · Bettles
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 23, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,866.3 total · 1,600 in this make and model · 1,686.9 as pilot in command · 179 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.85 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- PABT, 7 nm away
- METAR
- PABT 210953Z 00000KT 10SM SCT035 BKN110 01/M01 A2985 RMK AO2 SLP120 T00061006 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 5, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 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.