- Date
- January 21, 1989, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Girdwood, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N4280ZPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890121001029A
- Case key
- 5161
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's failure to maintain control of the airplane while attempting to takeoff from a sloped terrain that was too steep for a safe operation. Contributing to the accident was the downhill, icy terrain conditions and the pilot's overconfidence in both his and the airplane's ability..
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 airline transport pilot landed up-slope on a glacier and was turning to takeoff down-slope when tailwind and 10-20 degree slope caused the aircraft to turn through the desired takeoff heading, and to slide sideways. The right ski dug into the snow, causing the right main landing gear to collapse, and the right wing to contact the frozen surface. The crash site elevation was about 4,400 feet MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4280Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 188528
- Airframe hours
- 5,174
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gerald G. Chisum
- Registered owner
- Mejo Dkon Ruckman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 14, 1988 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- Girdwood, AK
- Destination
- 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 21,000 total · 300 in this make and model · 20,000 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 16 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.