Piper PA-18 N2581P
30 June 2008 · Wasilla, Alaska, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 30 June 2008 at about 00:50 local time, a Piper PA-18 registered N2581P, operated by Robert J. Gilmore, was involved in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 00:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Wasilla, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 61.5867, -149.2347
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18
- Registration
- N2581P
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Robert J. Gilmore
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Wasilla → Wasilla
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC08FA079
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing in a gusty crosswind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The private pilot and passenger were returning to the pilot's private airstrip after a local personal flight. A witness said that about 20 minutes after the airplane had departed, it returned overhead, circled the airstrip once, then began an approach for landing to the south, which required a correction for a left crosswind. As the airplane passed over the approach end of the airstrip, its approach became unstable and it drifted to the right, towards a stand of large trees that bordered the airstrip. Just before the airplane touched down, the engine power increased significantly, the nose pitched up, and it began a steep climb. The witness said that the airplane's right wing struck a 75-foot-tall tree, which pivoted the airplane to the right, and it descended nose first into dense woods. Witnesses stated that at the time of the accident, there were gusty winds between 25 and 30 knots, with rapid direction changes. Examination of the airplane did not disclose any preimpact mechanical malfunction.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-18 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Aug 2008 | Piper PA-18-150 | Camarillo, California, United States | Van Wagner Aerial Media, LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 20 Dec 2008 | Piper PA-18-150 | Willow, Alaska, United States | MacArthur Clinton W | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jun 2008 | Piper PA-18-150 | Lake Placid, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 May 2008 | Piper PA-18-150 | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | James Fogarty | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jun 2008 | Piper PA-18 | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | Sherman Reynolds | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Jun 2008 | Piper PA-18 | Willow, Alaska, United States | Kyle P. Carr | No injuries | - |
All 2,950 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Oct 2008 | Antonovich Anton B CHALLENGER II | Chugiak, Alaska, United States | Richard H. Roiland | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Jul 2008 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Iliamna, Alaska, United States | Rainbow King Lodge Inc | No injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 2008 | Cessna 208B | Bethel, Alaska, United States | Grant Aviation Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 2008 | Piper PA-31-350 | Kodiak, Alaska, United States | Servant Air, Inc. | Fatal | 6 |
| 9 Oct 2008 | Cessna A185F | Kenai, Alaska, United States | Alaska Department of Public Safety | No injuries | - |
| 10 May 2008 | Cessna 172 | Chugiak, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |