- Date
- May 21, 1984, 15:59 local (23:59 UTC)
- Place
- Platinum, AK
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA reports
- 19840521023112A19840521023111A
- Case key
- 4206
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The herring season was to open at 1600 hrs. According to witnesses, about 30 acft were circling in left turns over merging schools of herring while the plts & their respective boat crews were awaiting the opening signal. The acft were circling under a low overcast where the herring were merging near a shoreline. Two acft (a Piper PA-18, N82454, & a Cessna 182H, N4798U) collided while the plts were spotting fish. Of 6 witnesses who saw the collision, 5 agreed that the Cessna was converging from inside the radius of the Piper's turn. After colliding, both acft impacted on a bluff near the shoreline. Witnesses used such terms as 'frantic', 'chaotic' & 'insane' when they described the flt activity over the fish at the opening of the herring season with its lucrative rewards.
The herring season was to open at 1600 hrs. According to witnesses, about 30 acft were circling in left turns over merging schools of herring while the plts & their respective boat crews were awaiting the opening signals. The acft were circling under a low overcast where the herring were merging near a shoreline. Two acft (a Piper PA-18, N82554, & a Cessna 182H, N4798U) collided while the plts were spotting fish. Of 6 witnesses who saw the collision 5 agreed that the Cessna was converging from inside the radius of the Piper's turn. After colliding, both acft impacted on a bluff near the shoreline. Witnesses used such terms as 'frantic', 'chaotic' & 'insane' when they described the flt activity over the fish at the opening of the herring season with its lucrative rewards.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N82454
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7809140
- Airframe hours
- 806
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Walter Arnold Hansen
- Registered owner
- Walter Arnold Hanson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 15, 1984 · 84 hours before
- Departed
- Asigyugpak Bay, AK
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.
- Registration
- N4798U
- Reported as
- Cessna 180H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18051498
- Airframe hours
- 7,588
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Gregory Stephen Curley
- Registered owner
- Gregory S. Curley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Aspigyugpak Spi, AK
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
- Pilot, aircraft N82454
- Age
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,348 total · 98 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N4798U
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,329 total · 4,230 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 48 °F
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N82454 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.