- Date
- August 5, 2025, 20:00 local (Aug 6, 2025, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- Delta Junction, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N907BTBrian Turner Northern Explorer
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 201015
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 maintain obstacle clearance during landing, which resulted in an impact with trees.
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 he landed on an off-airport remote gravel airstrip surrounded by trees in a tailwheel-equipped airplane and the left wing struck a stand of trees during the landing rollout. The airplane turned left, and the right main landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N907BT
- Reported as
- Brian Turner Northern Explorer
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 072515
- Built
- 2015
- Engine
- Continental Titan 340, 174 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 26, 2025
- Departed
- PAAN · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 5, 2025
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,616 total · 1,200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- ABI, 52 nm away
- METAR
- PABI 060353Z 24005KT 10SM FEW040 FEW060 SCT120 SCT160 19/11 A2992 RMK AO2 SLP132 SHRA DSNT SW T01940106 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 22, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.8 MB in all.
Other investigations on N907BT · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.