- Date
- August 31, 1991, 10:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gold King, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2664APiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910831037639A
- Case key
- 5615
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 a proper descent rate. Contributing to the accident was the rising terrain and the tailwind condition.
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 an airplane on the ground reported the wind to be from the north at 8 knots. During the final approach, the airplane began to sink at a higher than desired sink rate. The pilot applied power, but the airplane bounced three times. On the third bounce he added full power and attempted a go around into rising terrain. The tail of the airplane struck some brush and then the left wing struck a tree and the pilot aborted the go around. They were landing to the north into rising terrain and the airplane's angle of climb was equal to the angle of the rising terrain. The pilot stated that once on the ground he noticed that the wind was from the south.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2664A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-2179
- Airframe hours
- 2,375
- Engine
- Lycoming 0320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bruce V. Zmuda
- Registered owner
- Bruce V. Zmuda
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1990 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- 95Z · North Pole, AK
- Destination
- Jap Hills, AK
- Airport
- Jap Hills Airstrip
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 507 total · 375 in this make and model · 507 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 99 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.