Piper PA-18A accident near Nikolai, AK
On August 31, 2013, a Piper PA-18A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Nikolai, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 31, 2013
- Place
- Nikolai, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 62.292°N, 152.353°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130903X04459
Official records · ANC13FA091
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 30, 2013, about 2024 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-18A (Super Cub) airplane, N4581A, was destroyed by impact and a postimpact fire when it collided with tree-covered terrain just after takeoff from the Tatitna Airport, about 51 miles southeast of Nikolai, Alaska. The private pilot was fatally injured and the sole passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to, and operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed the Tatitna Airport about 2020, and was destined for the Big Lake Airport, Big Lake, Alaska. According to family members, the flight was returning to Big Lake, the pilot's home airport, following a successful caribou hunt. On the day of the accident, the pilot had completed multiple trips, shuttling the passengers, caribou meat, and hunting gear from a remote hunting location to the Tatitna Airport. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on September 5, 2013, the passenger stated that after refueling the main wing fuel tanks and loading the airplane with two butchered caribou and other hunting gear, they taxied to the end of the runway and departed the Tatitna Airport to the east. Once above the treetops they initiated a left turn, when he heard the pilot start to swear and say "I should have taken off the other way". Realizing they were going to crash, he shut his eyes and put his hands up to p
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper decision to load the airplane beyond its allowable takeoff weight and center of gravity limits, which resulted in a loss of control during the initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the external load and the downwind takeoff.
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.
