Piper PA-18 accident near Copper Center, Alaska, August 11, 2002
On August 11, 2002 at about 5:00 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N83272, was substantially damaged in an accident near Copper Center, 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, resulting in a nose-over during the landing roll. A factor contributing to the accident was rough/uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2002 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Copper Center, 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
- N83272 · registry record · serial 18-7609063
- 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 a tundra tire-equipped airplane on rough/uneven terrain at a remote airstrip. The airstrip, oriented east/west, is about 800 feet long and 9 feet wide. The pilot said he landed toward the west in an area of tundra and rocks, and during the landing roll, the right tire hit rocks and the airplane bounced. He applied the brakes as the right tire entered bushes along the edge of the landing area. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the propeller, the left wing lift strut, the right wing, and the rudder.
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: 323 hours in all; 267 in this make and model; 57 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 301 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 16, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,338 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2002; 101 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: PAGK Gulkana AK at 11:30 pm
- Destination: Copper Center AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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 N83272 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.