Piper PA-18-160 N4418Z

Summary

On 8 September 2003 at about 04:10 local time, a Piper PA-18-160 registered N4418Z was involved in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 September 2003 at 04:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Skwentna, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.7167, -152.7833

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-160

Registration

N4418Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wasilla → Skwentna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC03LA111

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. 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 private pilot was attempting to fly over a 1,200 foot long, gravel-surfaced site before landing. He reported that as he maneuvered the airplane for the fly over, he applied 10 degrees of wing flaps, and a "downdraft came over the wings and stalled them both... ." The airplane subsequently struck the ground in a nose down attitude, and came to rest about 200 feet from the approach end of the intended landing site. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.