Piper PA-18-160 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, September 8, 2003
On September 8, 2003 at about 4:10 am local time, a Piper PA-18-160, registered N4418Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was a downdraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2003 · about 4:10 am local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-160 · all PA-18-160s on the register
- Registration
- N4418Z · registry record · serial 18-8753
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was attempting to fly over a 1,200 foot long, gravel-surfaced site before landing. He reported that as he maneuvered the airplane for the fly over, he applied 10 degrees of wing flaps, and a "downdraft came over the wings and stalled them both... ." The airplane subsequently struck the ground in a nose down attitude, and came to rest about 200 feet from the approach end of the intended landing site. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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: 298 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 298 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 19, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 2003; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,760 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Wasilla AK at 9:30 pm
- Destination: Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 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 N4418Z 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.