Piper PA-18 accident near Ekwok, Alaska, September 30, 2002
On September 30, 2002, a Piper PA-18, registered N723C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ekwok, 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
A partial separation of one propeller blade during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 2002
- Place
- Ekwok, 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
- N723C · registry record · serial 18-1150
- 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 conducting a personal cross-country flight. During cruise about 700 feet agl, the airplane suddenly developed a severe vibration. He reduced engine power to idle, and then shutdown the engine. He said he landed on tundra-covered terrain. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed down and received damage to the air intake housing. After the emergency landing, the pilot discovered that about 10 inches of one propeller blade had separated from the rest of the blade. He described the separation as a straight chordwise fracture.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 7, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEK Ekwok AK at 7:15 pm
- Destination: 5NK Naknek AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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 N723C 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.