- Date
- September 12, 1991, 11:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Anaktuvuk Pass, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2515APiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910912042829A
- Case key
- 5625
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
That the pilot inadvertently stall/spun the airplane to the ground. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to adequately remove the ice/frost from the wings before starting the takeoff.
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 and witnesses reported that just after the airplane took off from a remote mountain strip, the left wing suddenly dropped, and the airplane spun to the ground. The pilot thought that he had possibly not removed all of the frost from the wings after he removed the wing covers. The airplane had been outside overnight. The temperatures had been below freezing, and 2-3 inches of dry snow had fallen.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2515A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-1972
- Airframe hours
- 4,375
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Holt, Robert N.
- Registered owner
- Holt, Robert N.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 25, 1991 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- AKP · Anaktuvuk Pss, AK
- Destination
- AKP · Anaktuvuk Pass, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,594 total · 1,532 in this make and model · 90 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft broken
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2515A · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.