- Date
- November 12, 1992, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Beaver, AK
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9124DPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Case key
- 5837
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-in-command's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall at an altitude inadequate to affect a recovery. Factors which contributed to the accident were: the overweight airplane, and the snow covered mountainous terrain.
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 purpose of flight was to count moose. The pilot had reported to another survey pilot, who was working in an area nearby and just over the ridge, that his assigned area had some fog in the upper elevations, but that it was workable. The pilot subsequently advised that the standard search had been completed, and that he was commencing the intensive search pattern. There was no further contact with the flight. During the intensive search, which takes 20-30 min to complete, a series of slightly overlapping circles or ovals are flown at 200-300 ft AGL, at 60 to 70 mph, with one notch (15 deg) of flaps. The airplane impacted snow covered tundra nose first at an angle of approx 40 deg. At the time of the accident, the airplane was approx 300 lbs over max certificated gross weight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9124D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-6503
- Airframe hours
- 5,083
- Engine
- Avco Lycoming O-320-A3B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Public use
- Operator
- Joe A. Firmin
- Registered owner
- Joe A. Firmin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 1992 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- FYU · Fort Yukon, AK
- Destination
- FAI · Fairbanks, AK
- Flight plan
- 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
- 41
- 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
- 7,000 total · 1,400 in this make and model · 7,000 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 10 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg