- Date
- November 8, 1991, 16:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Stebbins, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1685APiper PA-20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19911108050159A
- Case key
- 5673
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 adequately compensate for the wind during landing. Factors were the crosswind and the attempted go around
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 as the upwind main landing gear touched down, the upwind wing began to rise and he was unable to control it. He attempted a go around but the upwind wing continued upward and the airplane impacted the ground on the right main landing gear, the downwind gear, and the right wing. The airplane wreckage departed the runway and slid across a frozen lake. The wind was a direct crosswind blowing at 10 to 12 knots with gusts to 15 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1685A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-853
- Airframe hours
- 2,334
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Walter L. Smith
- Registered owner
- Walter L. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 17, 1991 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- UNK · Unalakleet, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- WBB · Stebbins, runway 5, 3,212 × 60 ft, gravel
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
- 48
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 384 total · 105 in this make and model · 350 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- 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.
Other investigations on N1685A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.