Piper PA-18 accident near Willow, Alaska, February 17, 2000
On February 17, 2000 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N7164B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willow, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. Factors in the accident were soft, snow covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 2000 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Willow, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N7164B · registry record · serial 18-5190
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing a tundra tire equipped airplane at a remote area next to a frozen river. The pilot had landed at the same location the previous day to assist his passenger in locating a lost snow machine. Overnight, about 4 to 6 inches of snow fell in the area. On the accident date, the pilot landed in his tracks from the previous day. During the landing roll, the new snow layer slowed the airplane dramatically, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane received damage to the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, and the left wing lift strut.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,867 hours in all; 2,887 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 3,867 as pilot in command; 21 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,026 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 1999; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PABV Chugiak AK at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N7164B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.