- Date
- June 3, 2025, 09:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Willow, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3994ZPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 2, 2026
- 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
- 20250603014129A
- Case key
- 200508
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 flight instructor’s delayed remedial action/lack of supervision. Contributing to the accident was the pilot receiving instructions failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a ground loop.
Findings · 7
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 flight instructor, seated in the rear seat, stated that he and the pilot receiving instruction, seated in the front seat, were practicing landings in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The purpose of the flight was for the pilot that was receiving instruction to obtain a tailwheel endorsement. During the landing rollout, gusting wind conditions lifted the left wing and the pilot receiving instruction applied right rudder, but the airplane continued to the right. The flight instructor then applied more right rudder; however, the airplane ground looped and sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The instructor pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 13 with wind from 080° at 9 knots, gusting to 16 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3994Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7943
- Built
- 1963
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Blue River Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- AAQ · Palmer, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- PAUO · Willow, runway 13, 4,400 × 75 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 3, 2025
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4,680 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 100 as pilot in command
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 250 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- AWS, 18 nm away
- METAR
- PAWS 031656Z AUTO 08009G16KT 060V120 10SM SCT048 OVC065 09/01 A2993 RMK AO2 RAE56 SLP137 P0000 T00940006
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 2, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 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 N3994Z · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.