- Date
- October 18, 1987, 09:20 local (17:20 UTC)
- Place
- Homer, AK
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4193ZPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19871018059859A
- Case key
- 4940
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 weather between Homer and anchorage included marginal conditions along segments of the route. The airline transport rated pilot was encouraged to take advantage of an offer to travel by automobile and still arrive in time for a commitment in anchorage. He declined and departed Homer with his wife and infant child in his airplane. The airplane crashed about 17 miles from the VOR. The wx at the scene was reported by plts alerted to the acc by the ELT. Exam of the wreckage indicated a spin type maneuver with minimal rotation at impact. No pre-impact discrepancies were noted. There was fuel in the rt tank and the fuel selector was on this tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4193Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 188380
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James W. Landes
- Registered owner
- James Wesley Landes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- HOM · Homer, AK
- Destination
- Z41 · Anchorage, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- HUM · Homer
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,550 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 70° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOM, 17 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.