Piper L-21A accident near Kaktovik, AK
On August 18, 1995, a Piper L-21A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kaktovik, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 18, 1995
- Place
- Kaktovik, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper L-21A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 70.121°N, 143.660°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X04117
NTSB summary
History of the Flight On August 18, 1995, about 1430 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Piper L-21A, N8373H, crashed about 67 miles south of Kaktovik, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight to return from a hunting trip when the accident occurred. The destination was Soldotna, Alaska. The airplane, operated by the pilot, was destroyed. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. On August 8, 1995, the pilot and a second airplane, landed in the Aichilik River drainage area to hunt. On August 18, 1995, the accident airplane's pilot departed for Soldotna with a planned fuel stop at Fort Yukon, Alaska. The accident airplane departed the hunting camp located at 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl) in a northerly direction. It then turned southbound and overflew the hunting camp toward higher terrain. The second pilot indicated at that time, the weather conditions were sunny and warm, temperature about 55 degree F, with calm winds. After the accident airplane departed, the second pilot noticed that the wind velocity increased to about 10 knots from the south. The second pilot remained behind to continue hunting. On August 26, 1995, the second pilot also departed for Fort Yukon and flew over the same route as the accident pilot. The airplane was reported overdue by family members and an alert notice (ALNOT) was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on August 24, 1995, at 1728. A search of the area did not locate the accident s
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from mountainous terrain.
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Browse: Alaska · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
