Piper PA-18 N64RS

Summary

On 2 October 1996 at about 20:24 local time, a Piper PA-18 registered N64RS was involved in an accident near Palmer, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 October 1996 at 20:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmer, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.6199, -148.9799

Aircraft

Piper PA-18

Registration

N64RS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → George Glacier

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC97FA002

1 person died.

the pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. The unfavorable wind condition was a related factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was departing his 700 feet long grass strip in a tundra-tire/tail-wheel equipped airplane to transport a passenger to a hunting area. The airplane climbed to about 100 feet above the ground while in a slight right turn. The pilot described the airplane's tail as suddenly being pushed downward by a gust of wind. The airplane then descended in a right wing and nose low attitude toward the ground, through two strands of high voltage electrical wires. The pilot recalled seeing sparks emanating from the right wingtip. The airplane struck the ground in a small grove of trees 2/10 of a mile from the departure end of the runway, and a postcrash fire erupted. No mechanical malfunction of the engine was found. The pilot reported the wind conditions as light and variable. Wind conditions from an airport 1/2 mile northeast of the accident site, one half hour before the accident, were reported as 9 knots. One half hour after the accident, the wind conditions were 15 knots with gusts to 32 knots. Local residents reported strong gusty winds throughout the area. No evidence was found that the pilot had obtained an official weather briefing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.