- Date
- September 21, 1996, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Noatak, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9366DPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 2, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19960921029259A
- Case key
- 2913
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing.
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 stated that it had snowed approximately 18 inches on the mountain ridge. His guide and client stamped out a landing area and estimated the stamped down snow to be 2 to 3 inches deep. The pilot landed the airplane and during the roll out the airplane's wheels hit a small depression where the snow was 8 to 10 inches deep. The airplane nosed over and bent the propeller and wing lift strut.
Factual narrative
On September 21, 1996, at 1300 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N9366D, registered to and operated by the pilot, nosed over during an off airport landing on a mountain ridge near Noatak, Alaska. The business flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91 for the purpose of hunt guiding, departed a remote field site and the destination was the location of the accident. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane received substantial damage.
During a telephone conversation with the pilot on October 7, 1996, he stated that it had snowed approximately 18 inches on the mountain ridge. His guide and client stamped out a landing area and estimated the stamped down snow to be 2 to 3 inches deep. The pilot landed the airplane and during the roll out the airplane's wheels hit a small depression where the snow was 8 to 10 inches deep. The airplane nosed over and bent the propeller and a wing lift strut.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9366D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 639
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert L. Eubank
- Registered owner
- Olive B. Johnston
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 18, 1996 · 200 hours before
- Departed
- Field Site, AK
- Destination
- Mountain Ridge, 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
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5,183 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 4,877 as pilot in command · 175 in the last 90 days · 73 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.