- Date
- October 24, 1995, 17:45 local (Oct 25, 1995, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2399SPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 29, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19951024037119A
- Case key
- 2784
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, and failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from mountainous/hilly 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 pilot was on a local flight and was returning to Lake Hood Seaplane Base. He stated that as he approached a local pass (named Powerline Pass), the airplane encountered a downdraft. He was unable to stop the descent and the airplane crashed into the terrain on the east side of the pass. Local area winds in the valley, 12 miles west of the accident site, were from the north at 5 knots. The pilot could not estimate the winds in the pass.
Factual narrative
On October 24, 1995, at 1745 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N2399S, registered to the pilot's father, and operated by the pilot, experienced a downdraft while attempting to fly through "Powerline Pass" which is located 12 miles east of Anchorage, and crashed into the east side of the pass. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, last departed Lake Hood Seaplane Base, Anchorage, Alaska, for a local flight. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The certificated airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured and the airplane received substantial damage.
During a telephone conversation with the pilot on October 25, 1995, he stated that he was attempting to cross through the pass east to west. As he neared the pass, a severe downdraft started to push the airplane toward the ground. He was unable to recover and the airplane struck the ground. The pilot could not estimate the winds at the accident site. The Lake Hood Automatic Terminal Information System (ATIS)information showed that the airport winds were from the north at 5 knots. There were no weather or wind reporting facilities near the pass.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2399S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7909143
- Airframe hours
- 1,800
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Geoff Stearn
- Registered owner
- George K. Stearn
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 30, 1995 · 75 hours before
- Departed
- LHD · AK
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
- 39
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 3,200 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 32 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.