Piper PA-18 N6770B

Summary

On 21 March 2006 at about 22:30 local time, a Piper PA-18 registered N6770B was involved in an accident near Dillingham, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 March 2006 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Dillingham, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

60.5258, -158.3917

Aircraft

Piper PA-18

Registration

N6770B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dillingham → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC06LA027

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with snow-covered terrain. A factor contributing to the accident was an inadvertent stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial certificated pilot was maneuvering over a remote, snow-covered area, preparing to land a ski-equipped airplane on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was accompanied by a second airplane throughout most of the day, making multiple landings to check trap lines. The accident pilot announced that he was planning to land and reset a trap, and the second airplane continued to a remote cabin where the two airplanes were planning to meet. When the accident airplane did not arrive, the second airplane searched for and located the burning wreckage. Search and rescue personnel responded to the scene and transported the pilot to a hospital. The accident pilot reported that he remembered circling over his intended landing area, but did not remember the crash. Photographs of the wreckage revealed that the airplane collided with the snow in a near level attitude with little forward movement. The airplane had upward crushing of the wings and fuselage. The right wing was displaced forward of its normal position and had aft leading edge crushing of the outboard half of the wing. The pilot said there was no mechanical malfunction of the flight controls or the engine. In the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) submitted by the pilot, the pilot described the history of the flight and noted, "Presumably - Unintended stalled condition at relatively low altitude led to high impact crash."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.