Piper PA-18-180 N3685Z

Summary

On 27 June 1997 at about 15:30 local time, a Piper PA-18-180 registered N3685Z, operated by U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service, was involved in an accident near Tok, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 June 1997 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Tok, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

63.1794, -143.0999

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-180

Registration

N3685Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC97TA095

Nobody was injured.

The second pilot/dual student's failure to maintain a proper glidepath, and the pilot-in-command/flight instructor's inadequate supervision. A factor associated with the accident was a downdraft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The second pilot was a rated float plane pilot, but did not meet the criteria to act as pilot-in-command (PIC) by his employer, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The PIC, who was also employed by the USFWS, was a certifcated flight instructor, and was giving additional instruction to the second pilot to meet the USFWS standards for PIC. The second pilot was flying at the time of the accident. The two pilots had been practicing touch-and-go landings on a lake. During the approach to land, the airplane's floats inadvertently touched on a flat, grassy area short of the water. Engine power was applied, and the airplane continued to the lake to make an uneventful landing. Postflight inspection disclosed a damaged fuselage near the left float's rear attachment point. The PIC believes the airplane may have encountered a downdraft just prior to touching down on the grassy area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.