Piper PA-18 accident near Mccarthy, Alaska, April 23, 2000
On April 23, 2000 at about 1:30 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N1200A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mccarthy, Alaska (Mccarthy Number 2 airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusty wind conditions. A factor associated with the accident was the wind gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2000 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Mccarthy, Alaska · Mccarthy Number 2 · 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
- N1200A · registry record · serial 1200
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported she landed her tailwheel airplane in gusty wind conditions. After landing, while turning the airplane in search of a parking site, she said a gust of wind picked the tail of the airplane off the ground, and the airplane nosed over.
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: 6,335 hours in all; 340 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 6,185 as pilot in command; 135 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,600 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 21, 2000; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 1, 3,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°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 N1200A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC00LA049.