- Date
- August 29, 1987, 20:00 local (Aug 30, 1987, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- High Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9775DPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19870829056429A
- Case key
- 4903
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 and his passenger were on a fishing/sight-seeing flight when they encountered winds estimated at 35 knots blowing over a mountain ridge. The pilot attempted to fly over the ridge but turned away after experiencing a strong down draft. A second attempt was made at approximately 200 feet AGL, but the airplane did not have sufficient altitude to clear the ridge after entering the area of the down draft and crashed on the approach to the ridge.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9775D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 186836
- Engine
- Unknown UNKNOWN, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary Peltola
- Registered owner
- Gary Peltola
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BET · Bethel, 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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 15 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.