- Date
- September 13, 1992, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- North Pole, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3692ZPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Case key
- 5816
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
Pilot's decision to attempt takeoff without removing snow from aircraft surfaces. Factor related to the accident was the snow contaminated wing and other flight surfaces.
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
Pilot landed on gravel bar and loaded pax and cargo while snow accumulated on airplane. Pilot thought snow would blow off on takeoff. Airplane could not takeoff and nosed over inverted in river.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3692Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7427
- Airframe hours
- 2,860
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kenneth J. Turnquist
- Registered owner
- Kenneth J. Turnquist
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 11, 1991 · 46 hours before
- Departed
- Wood River Bar, AK
- Destination
- 95Z · North Pole, AK
- Airport
- Wood River Gravel Bar
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 1,400 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 34 °F