Piper PA-18 accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska, March 31, 2003
On March 31, 2003 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N8106Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska. It was a business 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
A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. A contributing factor in the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 2003 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Alsworth, 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
- N8106Y · registry record · serial 18-8588
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing at a remote gravel airstrip. During final approach to the gravel bar/airstrip, the pilot said the airplane encountered a minor downdraft, and as he began to add engine power to arrest the resulting descent, the engine did not respond with any increase in power. He said he pumped the throttle without any response. The airplane continued to descend and touched down in an area of low brush, about 50 yards short of the airstrip. During the touchdown, the right main landing gear collapsed and the right wingtip struck the ground. The pilot, who holds an aircraft mechanic certificate, reported that the engine was overhauled and reinstalled on the airplane three days before the accident. At that time, he installed an overhauled carburetor. He indicated that during attempts to run the engine, after the accident, the engine would start and run at idle power. He noticed a binding of the carburetor's throttle cable or internal carburetor linkage. He replaced the throttle cable, but still felt a binding in the throttle mechanism. The pilot said he disconnected the throttle cable from the carburetor, and hand operated the throttle arm. It had binding only when the engine was running. The NTSB IIC conducted an examination of the carburetor at an aviation maintenance facility. No mechanical malfunctions were discovered during the examination.
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: 11,000 hours in all; 6,500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 31, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,800 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 28, 2003; 6.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK51 Port Alsworth AK at 9:15 pm
- Destination: Port Alsworth AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ANC03LA040.