- Date
- September 14, 1989, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Stony River, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N62RTPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890914035439A
- Case key
- 5259
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
Pilot's failure to ensure that his landing area was properly clear prior to landing.
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 stated that the airplane hit a large rock while landing on a gravel bar, causing the left main landing gear to collapse, and the left wing to hit the ground. The pilot reported that rain on the windshield prevented him from seeing the rock in time to avoid hitting it. He also stated that someone had sabotaged the landing area by putting numerous rocks there, to discourage other hunters from using the area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62RT
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7609038
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rexford L. Turner
- Departed
- Palmer, AK
- Airport
- Gravel Bar
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,622 total · 500 in this make and model · 3,562 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °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.