- Date
- April 15, 1990, 07:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cordova, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6MXPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19900415009149A
- Case key
- 5355
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 improper planning/decision, which resulted in a nose-over of the aircraft when it encountered a wave from a boat during the takeoff run.
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 plt rprtd that during the takeoff run, the float plane had just come up on the step, when it hit the wake of a boat. The plane ballooned in the air before it had sufficient speed to fly. The acft then contacted the water, the floats dug in & the plane nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6MX
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 186650
- Airframe hours
- 2,900
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James A. Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1990 · 36 hours before
- Airport
- Galena Bay
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 497 total · 297 in this make and model · 405 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 36 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 45 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.