- Date
- March 2, 2025, 14:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK · Gravel bar
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6999Piper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- 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
- 20250302005019A
- Case key
- 199842
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to maintain an appropriate airspeed during the landing approach, which resulted in exceedance of the critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall, during gusting wind conditions.
Findings · 6
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings.
Analysis
The pilot reported that on short final to a remote gravel airstrip, and just prior to touch down, a gust of wind made his approach feel unstable. The pilot attempted to abort the landing, but the wind gust decreased, and the airplane stalled and landed hard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6999
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8881
- Built
- 1970
- Airframe hours
- 12,776.9
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 15, 2024 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- PABV · Chugiak, AK
- Destination
- PABV · Chugiak, AK
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 29
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Military
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 18, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 894.4 total · 119.5 in this make and model · 484.5 as pilot in command · 21.6 in the last 90 days · 7.7 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 18 knots, gusting 31
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.83 inHg
- Turbulence
- Moderate
- Observed at
- PAAQ, 9 nm away
- METAR
- PAAQ 022253Z 14018G31KT 10SM FEW080 09/M02 A2983 RMK AO2 PK WND 12036/2154 SLP105 T00941022
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 17, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.6 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.