- Date
- May 22, 2025, 19:10 local (May 23, 2025, 03:10 UTC)
- Place
- Susitna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1364CPiper PA-18A 150
- Defining event
- Landing: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 23, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250523012749A
- Case key
- 200226
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 encounter with shifting winds during landing, which resulted in a loss of airspeed and altitude, and subsequent contact with water.
Findings · 4
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 on landing approach to a remote river sandbar in gusty wind conditions, the headwind rapidly decreased and the airplane lost airspeed and began to descend. The pilot applied full engine power in an attempt to arrest the descent; however, the wheels contacted the water, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing struts. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1364C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18A 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-2613
- Airframe hours
- 3,800
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290 SERIES, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 14, 2025
- Departed
- PALH · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- 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
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 25, 2025
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 5,127 total · 450 in this make and model · 5,127 as pilot in command · 118 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- AWS, 27 nm away
- METAR
- PAWS 230256Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM OVC095 13/01 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP128 T01280011 58008
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 23, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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.
Other investigations on N1364C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.