Piper PA-18 accident near Wasilla, AK
On June 30, 2008, a Piper PA-18 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Wasilla, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 30, 2008
- Place
- Wasilla, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 61.587°N, 149.235°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080703X00978
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 29, 2008, about 1650 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N2581P, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a stand of trees during an attempted go-around while landing at a private airstrip, about 6 miles east of Wasilla, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private pilot died at the scene, and the one passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local area flight. According to family members, the flight originated from the accident airstrip about 1630. During an on scene interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 29, about 1930, a witness to the accident who was a family friend of the pilot, reported that the purpose of the flight was to show the passenger some Alaskan scenery. The witness said that about 20 minutes after the airplane had departed, it returned overhead, circled the airstrip once, and then began an approach for a landing to the south, which required a correction for a left crosswind. He reported that as the airplane passed over the approach end of the airstrip, its approach became unstable, and it drifted to the right, towards a stand of large trees that bordered the airstrip. He said that just before the airplane touched down, the engine power increased significantly, the nose pitched up, and it began a steep climb. The w
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing in a gusty crosswind.
More accidents in AK
- Beech 1900C, Nov 23, 1987
- Textron Aviation Inc 208B, Feb 6, 2025
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jul 7, 2013
- Cessna 208, Oct 10, 2001
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jun 25, 2015
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.
