- Date
- April 5, 1987, 08:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Valdez, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9073DPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 21, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19870405008509A
- Case key
- 4839
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 pilot reported that he could not keep the ski equipped aircraft from banking to the left after take off and elected to reduce power and land. The aircraft sustained substantial damage when the left wing tip struck the ground and cartwheeled during the landing. The aircraft had been flown the preceeding day without incident or malfunction and had been parked outside during a snow storm prior to the flight. A post accident flight control continuity check discovered no abnormalities.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9073D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-6439
- Airframe hours
- 1,556
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert Pierson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 15, 1986
- Airport
- VDZ · Valdez
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,036 total · 232 in this make and model · 1,036 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 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 N9073D · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.