Piper PA18 accident near Sitka, AK
On June 9, 2018, a Piper PA18 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sitka, AK. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 9, 2018
- Place
- Sitka, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA18 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 57.172°N, 135.277°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180611X23020
Official records · ANC18FA044
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 9, 2018, about 2000 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N1203A, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Sitka, Alaska. The commercial pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 sightseeing flight. The pilot was the co-owner of the Frontier Charters and Lodge in Sitka. According to the pilot's mother, who was the other owner, the pilot was taking a client on a non-revenue wildlife sightseeing tour to see mountain goats. The pilot filed and activated a local flight plan with Juneau Flight Service (FSS); the plan was to depart from the Sitka Seaplane Base (A29) at 1934 and return at 2030. The flight plan indicated that he was going to Katlian Bay, then Nakwasina Sound. When the airplane was deemed overdue, an alert notice (ALNOT) was issued by Juneau FSS at 2239 and the US Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Juneau coordinated a search and rescue operation with the support of the Alaska State Troopers and the Civil Air Patrol. No emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received. The airplane was not equipped with ADS-B and there was no radar track for the airplane; therefore, the actual track of the airplane is not known. Figure 1. The accident site on a Google Earth image. On June 10 about 2210, a USCG MH-60T helicopter located the wreckage about 0.2 mile upriver from Katlian Bay on an arm of the Katlian River (see figure 1). The pilot was located in the front seat of the wreckage and the passenger was missing. The fata
Probable cause
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack for unknown reason, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and a loss of control.
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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.
