Piper PA-18 accident near Delta Junction, Alaska, August 9, 2000
On August 9, 2000 at about 2:00 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N7777D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Delta Junction, 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 inadequate preflight planning/preparation. Factors in the accident were an uphill takeoff, high vegetation, and a short runway area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2000 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Delta Junction, 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
- N7777D · registry record · serial 18-5962
- 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 departing a small airstrip at a mining claim. The airstrip is oriented east/west, and is about 600 feet long and 20 feet wide, with a 6 to 10 degree slope. The pilot said the wind was blowing downhill, so he decided to take off toward the west, in an uphill direction. The wind was blowing from the west between 10 to 15 knots. The airplane lifted off, but at the end of the airstrip, the tires were only about 2 to 3 feet above the ground. The tires began skimming the tops of low bushes that surrounded the airstrip. The pilot said that the wind speed decreased, and the airplane contacted the ground and nosed over. The airplane received damage to the engine propeller, wings, and empennage.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,700 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,485 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 2000; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: D66 AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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 N7777D 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.