- Date
- April 3, 1989, 19:15 local (Apr 4, 1989, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- Kotzebue, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7085Piper PA-18
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Case key
- 5124
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot continued flight into IFR conditions and failed to maintain the altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing and the deteriorating weather conditions which were encountered.
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 private pilot, a state fish and wildlife protection officer, continued VFR into IFR conditions then lost control and crashed the airplane while trying to execute a 180 degree turn back to VFR condition. The crash was about two hours before sunset and 14 NM from his home base from which the pilot had departed over 8 hours earlier. His pvt pilot certificate had a limitation prohibiting night flight. The airplane was not equipped, & the pilot was not rated for, instrument flight. Although available at the point of departure and enroute, no wx briefing was obtained either prior to or during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7085
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8069
- Airframe hours
- 8,322
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Public use
- Registered owner
- State Of Alaska
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- WLK · Selawik, AK
- Destination
- OTZ · Kotzebue, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- OTZ
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,163 total · 880 in this make and model · 1,093 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 28 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 7 °F, dew point 3 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OTZ, 14 nm away