- Date
- September 10, 1998, 20:30 local (Sep 11, 1998, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Kotzebue, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7682DPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19980910023789A
- Case key
- 43979
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. A factor in the accident was sunglare as the pilot landed into the sun.
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 certificated private pilot, operating a hunting/guide business, was landing a tail wheel, and tundra tire equipped airplane on a gravel bar near a remote river. The pilot landed toward the west. During the landing approach, the sun was shining in his eyes, and the left main landing gear struck an unseen log. The airplane nosed over, and received damage to the landing gear, right wing and lift struts, and the vertical stabilizer. At the time of the accident, the position of the sun was calculated to be on a 269.6 degree true azimuth from the accident site, at an elevation of 5.2 degrees.
Factual narrative
On September 10, 1998, about 2030 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N7682D, sustained substantial damage while landing on a gravel bar near a remote river, about 45 miles northeast of Kotzebue, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area business flight under Title 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The airplane, registered to the pilot, was operated in conjunction with the pilot's hunting/guide business, Hardy Alaska Adventures. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on September 14, 1998, at 1340, the pilot reported he is a hunting guide. He said he departed a hunting camp located a short distance away from the accident site. He intended to land on a gravel bar along the Squirrel River, to pick up some hunting gear. He was landing toward the west, and during the landing approach, the sun was shining in his eyes. During the landing roll, the left main landing gear struck an unseen log. The airplane nosed over, and received damage to the landing gear, right wing and lift struts, and the vertical stabilizer.
At the time of the accident, the position of the sun was calculated to be on a 269.6 degree true azimuth from the accident site, and at an elevation of 5.2 degrees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7682D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-5904
- Airframe hours
- 8,559
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 160 lbs thrust, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Hardy Alaska Adventures
- Registered owner
- Joseph Hardy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 7, 1998 · 98 hours before
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,775 total · 697 in this make and model · 1,755 as pilot in command · 68 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 30° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7682D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.