Piper PA-18 accident near Healy, Alaska, August 8, 2003
On August 8, 2003 at about 4:25 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N4320Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Healy, 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and failure to maintain aircraft control after encountering wind gusts during the landing flare/touchdown which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees and subsequent nose over. A factor contributing to the accident was the presence of gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2003 · about 4:25 am local time
- Place
- Healy, 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
- N4320Z · registry record · serial 18-8633
- 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 a tundra tire-equipped airplane at a remote site for the purpose of transporting a hunting client to a camp. The landing area, where the pilot had landed in the past, was an area of tundra about 600 feet long and 50 feet wide. The landing area is located in a creek drainage, surrounded by mountains. The pilot indicated that as he was landing toward the south, about 3 feet above touchdown, a 20 to 30 knot gust of wind from the west blew the airplane into several willow trees. The airplane came to rest inverted, and received damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that the wind conditions had previously been light and variable.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 31, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Healy AK at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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 N4320Z 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.