Piper PA-18-150 N985W

Summary

On 4 March 2008 at about 14:30 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N985W, operated by Alaska Cub Training Specialist LLC, was involved in an accident near Nikolai, 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

4 March 2008 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Nikolai, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.5333, -153.6167

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N985W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Alaska Cub Training Specialist LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nikolia → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC08LA039

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions. Contributing to the accident was an inadvertent stall/mush.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial certificated flight instructor was providing wilderness flying instruction to a private certificated student pilot. The student pilot said that he and the instructor were in the lead airplane of a flight of three. He said they were departing from a frozen lake, and that the takeoff area was mostly glare ice. The wind was gusting heavily, and the other two airplanes taxied out first. Both airplanes lost control, and spun into the wind. Since the others were having trouble maintaining directional control, the instructor told him to taxi to the center of the lake. He said he suggested taxiing farther down the lake to give them more takeoff length, but the instructor said no. The student pointed the airplane toward the lowest point in the hills surrounding the lake, and applied takeoff power. When the airplane reached flying speed, he pulled in full flaps as instructed. Approaching the hills they encountered gusts and downdrafts, the climb rate declined, and the instructor took the controls. The student asked if he should reduce the flaps, which were full down, and the instructor said no. The instructor turned the airplane to the left to avoid hitting the lodge. The airplane settled into the trees, and collided with a structure, receiving substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.