Piper PA-18 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, June 24, 2000
On June 24, 2000 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N78NR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions. Factors in the accident were the presence of a tailwind, the pilot's inadvertent touchdown, and a short landing area bordered by high vegetation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2000 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N78NR · registry record · serial 18-3513
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was landing at his private airstrip, next to his cabin. The dirt airstrip, oriented southeast/northwest, is about 600 feet long, and 60 feet wide. The pilot said he overflew the strip several times. He selected full flaps, and began a landing approach toward the northwest. During the approach, a wind shift, producing a tailwind, carried the airplane past the pilot's intended landing spot, and the airplane inadvertently touched down. The pilot added full power to abort the landing. The airplane collided with brush at the end of the airstrip, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane received damage to the wings, fuselage, and tail.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 143 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,562 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1999; 52 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 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N78NR 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.