- Date
- August 13, 1992, 22:10 local (Aug 14, 1992, 06:10 UTC)
- Place
- Iliamna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3906ZPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920813031469A
- Case key
- 5779
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 failed to maintain airspeed and stalled the airplane. Contributing to the accident was the unfavorable wind 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
After aborting the second or third attempted landing on a mountain ridge hunting strip, the pilot turned downwind. Several seconds after rolling out of the turn on downwind, and while at about 10 feet above the ground, the airplane's tail went up and the airplane nosed to the ground. Immediately upon impact the airplane burst into flames and was destroyed by fire. Three ground witnesses estimated that the gusty wind was blowing at 30 to 50 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3906Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7720
- Airframe hours
- 5,300
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Barry G. Stewart, doing business as Alaska Quality Safari
- Registered owner
- Ron Roylan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 13, 1992 · 94 hours before
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 562 total · 264 in this make and model · 40 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 30 knots, gusting 50
- Visibility
- 70 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °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 N3906Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.