- Date
- January 25, 1985, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Minto, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4242ZPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19850125002789A
- Case key
- 4396
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 plt had landed the ski equipped acft on the shore of a lake that was covered with grassy tundra & snow. For a subsequent takeoff, he elected to continue straight ahead rather than back taxi to where he had a known surface condition. During the takeoff, the plt elected to lift-off prematurely to minimize bouncing/pounding on the rough surface. However, the skis broke thru the crusted snow & the acft nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4242Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8597
- Airframe hours
- 1,448
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Fred Frank Ensign
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1984 · 135 hours before
- Destination
- PS · Fairbanks, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 60 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 16 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N4242Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.