- Date
- August 5, 1997, 12:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Farewell, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1606APiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19970805021439A
- Case key
- 3040
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 failure to maintain adequate control of the airplane resulting in an inadvertent stall/mush at low altitude. Factors to the accident were the pilot's low altitude flight maneuver and the gusty winds.
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 maneuvering the airplane at low altitude in gusty wind conditions. He reported that during a turn, a wind gust rolled the airplane to a 75-degree bank angle, the airplane descended, and the right wing struck a tree.
Factual narrative
On August 5, 1997, about 1230 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-18 airplane, N1606A, sustained substantial damage when it impacted trees at position 62-10.4 north latitude, 154-01.05 west longitude, about 19 miles southeast of Farewell, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot and single passenger were uninjured. The airplane was operated by Yenlo Air of Willow, Alaska. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a flight plan was filed with a hunting guide.
According to the Alaska State Trooper who interviewed the pilot, and the pilot/operator report, the pilot made a low pass at 300 feet over a sand bar. During the low pass, and while in a turn, a gust of wind rolled the airplane to 75 degrees angle of bank. The airplane descended while in the turn, and the right wing subsequently struck a tree. The airplane came to rest in the trees, with the wings vertical.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1606A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-1246
- Airframe hours
- 4,425
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David B. Filkill
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 11, 1997 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- Z22 · Willow, AK
- Destination
- FWL · AK
- Flight plan
- Company 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,884 total · 2,420 in this make and model · 3,795 as pilot in command · 202 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.