- Date
- September 9, 1995, 17:00 local (Sep 10, 1995, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N45DKPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19950909030339A
- Case key
- 2738
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 inadequate compensation for the wind conditions. A factor relating to the accident was: the gusty crosswind 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
The pilot reported he was attempting to land the airplane on the remnants of an old road in gusty crosswind conditions. He said that during the landing roll, a wind gust caused him to lose directional control. The left main wheel went off the road and into an adjoining marsh. The airplane's main landing gear then struck a log, and the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On September 9, 1995, about 1700 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-12 airplane, N45DK, sustained substantial damage while landing at an off airport site approximately 30 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska. The solo private pilot was not injured. The personal flight operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight originated at Merrill Field, Anchorage, about 1630.
The pilot reported he was attempting to land the airplane in gusty crosswind conditions near the Susitna River on the remnants of a gravel road. He said a wind gust caused him to lose directional control while landing. He attempted to abort the landing, but the left wheel went off the edge of the gravel landing surface. The airplane subsequently went into a marshy area, struck a log and nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45DK
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-1223
- Airframe hours
- 4,953
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Brent C. Shaffer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 18, 1995 · 103 hours before
- Departed
- MRI
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 335 total · 88 in this make and model · 296 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.