Piper PA 18-150 N82448

Summary

On 9 October 2014 at about 02:00 local time, a Piper PA 18-150 registered N82448, operated by Fejes Guide Service Ltd, was involved in an accident near Cordova, 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

9 October 2014 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Cordova, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

60.1075, -143.2036

Aircraft

Piper PA 18-150

Registration

N82448

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Fejes Guide Service Ltd

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tsiu Lodge → Cordova

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC15CA002

Nobody was injured.

The pilots decision to land and failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing in gusty wind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was landing at a remote, off-airport site in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. He stated it was an area he was familiar with and was aware of the approaching weather. As he was about to land he said that a heavy rain shower was developing with gusty wind conditions. Just before landing a gust picked up his right wing which lowered his left wing into brush, causing the airplane to ground loop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and right wing tips, and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated in the recommendation section of the NTSB Accident Reporting Form 6120.1, that the accident could have been prevented if he had waited for the rain shower and wind conditions to decrease before landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.