- Date
- January 12, 1991, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wolf Point, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N2787PPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910112002279A
- Case key
- 41382
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 inadequate preflight planning and preparation by the pilot in command, and his selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff. A factor relating to the accident was the snowdrifts in the takeoff area.
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 acft impacted a snow drift during takeoff ground run on a snow covered field. The left main landing gear collapsed and the acft nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2787P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-4421
- Engine
- Continental C-90, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Doug J. Long
- Registered owner
- Doug J. Long
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,030 total · 300 in this make and model · 888 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Observed at
- GGW, 26 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.