Piper PA-18-150 accident near Tanana, Alaska, September 23, 2003
On September 23, 2003 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N1386A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tanana, Alaska. It was a business 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 failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing roll, which resulted in an overrun and nose down. Factors contributing to the accident were gusty winds, and restricted aileron control movement.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 2003 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tanana, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N1386A · registry record · serial 18-1219
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was attempting to land a tailwheel equipped airplane on a gravel bar adjacent to a river. He said there was a 20 knot wind, with gusts to 25 knots. The initial touchdown on the gravel bar was uneventful, but a wind gust lifted the left wing, and the pilot was unable to fully displace the aileron to the left to counteract the wind gust. He said he attempted to abort the landing, but was unable to get the left wing down, and the airplane ran off the end of the gravel bar into the river, nosing down when it encountered the water. The pilot indicated that he was unable to deflect the control stick completely to the left, because the flap handle was in the flaps down position, which kept his left leg from moving to the left, and consequently the control stick was blocked from moving full left travel when it encountered his leg.
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
Crew member
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,200 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 29, 2003
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 15, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Golden Creek AK at 2:30 pm
- Destination: Tanana AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 25°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 N1386A 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.