Piper PA-18 accident near Lime Village, AK
On May 27, 2002, a Piper PA-18 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lime Village, AK. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 27, 2002
- Place
- Lime Village, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 63.470°N, 162.110°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020529X00759
Official records · ANC02FA038
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 26, 2002, about 1815 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N4347Z, was destroyed by impact damage and postimpact fire after colliding with tree-covered terrain, during takeoff from a remote airstrip located about 38 miles northeast of Lime Village, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The certificated commercial pilot, seated in the front seat, and the sole passenger, a certificated private pilot, seated in the aft seat, received fatal injuries. The airplane was jointly owned by both the pilot and passenger. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the accident airstrip at 1815, and was en route to the Birchwood Airport, Chugiak, Alaska. During the on-scene portion of the investigation on May 27, a witness, who is also a certificated commercial pilot, related to the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) a conversation he had with the accident pilot the day before the accident. He said that while landing at the airstrip the day before the accident, the accident pilot inadvertently landed short of his intended touchdown point. The pilot told the witness that while he was on short final, the airplane descended below his intended glide path. When the pilot applied full engine power to arrest the decent, the engine "hesitated" momentarily, and the airplane's main wheels contacted the airstrip's overrun area. The witness reported that there was no damage
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate evaluation of weather and his inability to maintain aircraft control. A contributing factor was high winds due to thunderstorm outflow activity.
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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.
