Piper PA-18 N121BB
7 February 1997 · Circle, Alaska, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 7 February 1997 at about 14:00 local time, a Piper PA-18 registered N121BB was involved in an accident near Circle, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Circle, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Circle City (CRC)
- Coordinates
- 65.7901, -144.1999
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18
- Registration
- N121BB
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Cresent Creek
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC97FA026
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
inadequate preflight by the pilot; and his subsequent loss of aircraft control, during the initial climb after takeoff. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot failed to ensure that the cargo was properly secured, and he allowed the aircraft's weight and balance limitations to be exceeded.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot departed a remote airstrip with 10, five gallon gasoline cans of fuel. The pilot intended to transport the fuel to a remote trapping cabin. The airplane also contained full fuel (36 gallons) in the airplane fuel tanks, 50 pounds of traps and snares, and 35 pounds of survival equipment. The total (gross) weight of the airplane was estimated to be 1865 lbs; its maximum certificated gross weight was 1750 lbs. None of the cargo items were secured in the rear of the airplane. The airplane did not reach the intended destination, and was reported overdue. It was located 9 days later, about 300 yards southeast of the departure runway, in a steep, nose down attitude. When the airplane was located, all of the cargo items were found piled down and around the pilot.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-18 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep 1997 | Piper PA-18-150 | Dixie, Idaho, United States | Frank E. Brown | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 1997 | Piper PA-18 | Middleville, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-18 | Clovis, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 1997 | Piper PA-18-150 | Battle Ground, Washington, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-18-150 | Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jan 1997 | Piper PA-18-150 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | Chandler Air Service | No injuries | - |
All 2,950 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-32-300 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Oct 1997 | Cessna 208B | Kasigluk, Alaska, United States | Peninsula Airways Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-22-160 | Sterling, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Cessna 182B | Palmer, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 1997 | Bell 206-B2 | Sutton, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-20 | Naknek, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |