- Date
- July 26, 1987, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Levelock, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6978BPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19870726043819A
- Case key
- 4881
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
As the pilot of the Piper PA-18 airplane was completing his landing roll at the unattended airport, three children, riding an all terrain vehicle (atv), pulled onto the runway and were struck by the right side of the acft. The pilot attempted to avoid the vehicle but was not able to stop before colliding with it. Tracks alongside the runways indicated they were used by various vehicles as a matter of convenience. These tracks were not level or straight and many indicated that the vehicles making them frequently pulled up onto the runways which were smooth surfaced. There were numerous areas outside the runway edges where an individuals view of the runway would be obstructed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6978B
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 185100
- Airframe hours
- 3,572
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jerold Lee Vantrease
- Registered owner
- Jack Clifton Vantrease
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 13, 1987 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- 5NK · Naknek, AK
- Destination
- 1L1 · Iliamna, AK
- Airport
- KLL · Levelock, runway 29, 1,915 × 65 ft, gravel
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
- 66
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 315° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 0 ft
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N6978B · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.