Piper PA-18 accident near Anchorage, AK
On October 15, 2004, a Piper PA-18 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Anchorage, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 15, 2004
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 61.226°N, 149.989°W
- NTSB ID
- 20041021X01670
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 15, 2004, about 1406 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N4126E, was destroyed when it collided with the ocean waters of Knik Arm and sank, about 1.6 nautical miles north of the southern shoreline bordering Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The private certificated pilot, the sole occupant, is presumed to have received fatal injuries. Neither the airplane or the pilot have been located or recovered. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the Class D surface area of the accident. The flight originated at the Lake Hood Seaplane Base, Anchorage, about 1403. No flight plan was filed, nor was one required. The accident airplane was one of two, unrelated float-equipped Piper PA-18 airplanes that departed Lake Hood Seaplane Base within 1 minute of each other for local flights northbound across the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. This route of flight is commonly used by light aircraft departing the Class D Airspace that encompasses the Lake Hood Seaplane Base. The weather at the time of departure was below VFR minimums. The first Piper airplane to depart Lake Hood, N40463, requested a special VFR (SVFR) clearance for a northbound departure. The departure route utilizes Point Mackenzie, or the hull of a boat located west of Point Mackenzie on the north shore of the Knik Arm, as a VFR reporting point. The distance between the north and south shorelines of the
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and collision with water during maneuvering flight. Factors contributing to the accident were fog and low ceilings.
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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.
