Piper PA-18 accident near Sleetmute, AK
On March 31, 2012, a Piper PA-18 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sleetmute, AK. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 31, 2012
- Place
- Sleetmute, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 61.941°N, 157.620°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120331X34152
Official records · ANC12FA028
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 30, 2012, about 1708 Alaska daylight time, a ski-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N7276D, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees and snow-covered terrain following a loss of control while landing, about 26 miles south of Sleetmute, 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 uncertificated pilot, and the one passenger, both sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The accident flight originated at the Sleetmute Airport at an unknown time. During a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on November 6, a witness and personal friend of the uncertificated pilot and passenger, reported that the airplane was being used to shuttle fuel and camping supplies to a remote cabin on the banks of the Holitna River. He said that before the airplane arrived, he and another friend used snow machines to pack-down a makeshift landing site on the frozen, snow-covered river. After the uncertificated pilot finished transporting all of the fuel and supplies, he and the passenger departed the site to check the condition of the river ice upstream. About 30 minutes later, the witness said he saw the airplane flying towards the makeshift site, flying "low and slow" over the treetops as it approached. He said that as the airplane flew towards the landing site threshold, it began a slight right turn, then it nosed down abrupt
Probable cause
Operation of the airplane by a non-certificated pilot and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed and airplane control, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
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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.
