Piper PA-18 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, September 6, 2005
On September 6, 2005 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N1907A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska. It was a personal 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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff initial climb, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush, and subsequent in-flight collision with trees. A factor contributing to the accident was a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2005 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, 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
- N1907A · registry record · serial 18-1741
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was departing to the north, and downhill, from a one-way landing area, about 2,000 feet msl. The area, oriented north/south, was about 400 feet long, and about 15 feet wide. The pilot indicated that he began the takeoff roll with one notch of flaps selected. The airplane lifted off and climbed to about 40 feet agl. He reported that due to what he believed to be a tailwind, the tail of the airplane felt as if it was pushed downward, raising the nose of the airplane. He lowered the nose to prevent a stall, and began raising the flaps. The airplane collided with spruce trees about 200 yards from the takeoff area, and received damage to the landing gear, stabilizer, both wings and wing lift struts.
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: 216 hours in all; 212 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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 N1907A 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.