Piper PA-18 N125FG

Summary

On 29 August 2000 at about 23:40 local time, a Piper PA-18 registered N125FG was involved in an accident near Port Heiden, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 August 2000 at 23:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Port Heiden, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

56.9594, -158.5792

Aircraft

Piper PA-18

Registration

N125FG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Coho Beach → Chignik

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC00TA109

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate weather evaluation and in-flight planning/decisions. Factors in the accident were turbulence, and a downdraft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial certificated pilot departed with a biologist on a CFR Part 91 government flight, to conduct fish surveys in remote areas of the Alaska Peninsula. The point of departure was about 51 miles southwest of the accident site. Upon departure, the weather conditions included calm winds, and small clouds over high, mountainous terrain. As the survey continued into a coastal bay area on the east side of the Alaska Peninsula, the wind began to blow from the southwest, disturbing the water surface of the bay and streams. The pilot decided to discontinue the survey and return to the departure airport, and began heading in a southwest direction. The wind continued to increase with occasional turbulence. While in cruise flight about 1,200 feet msl in the area of a small saddle between two low hills, the airplane began to lose altitude in a strong downdraft. The pilot added full power, but the airplane continued to descend. He observed trees below him that were being flattened by the downdraft. He attempted to turn right, away from the side of one small hill, but a sharply increased ground speed prompted him to turn back into the prevailing wind. The airplane continued toward the ground, and the pilot said he lowered the nose of the airplane into an area of tall alders to make contact with terrain with some degree of control. During the collision with the trees, the engine and firewall were torn off the front of the airplane, and the wings were displaced rearward. The passenger reported that during the downdraft, his clipboard was pinned against the cabin roof. The closest official weather observation station is about 35 miles west of the accident site, along the west side of the Alaska Peninsula. An automated weather observation system was reporting, in part: Wind, 240 degrees (true) at 36 knots, gusts to 41 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.