Piper PA-18 accident near Wiseman, Alaska, August 13, 2005
On August 13, 2005 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N9950Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wiseman, 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over during the landing roll. Factors contributing to the accident were a short landing area, and pressure to conduct the flight, which the pilot stated was a rescue situation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 2005 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wiseman, 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 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N9950Q · registry record · serial 18-3563
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was conducting Title 14, CFR Part 91 flight operations in a remote area in support of his hunting/guiding business. At the request of an Alaska State Trooper, the pilot landed in a remote drainage to pick up a stranded hunter who had been at a camp for the previous five days when another hunt/guide pilot damaged the propeller of an airplane. The accident pilot reported that the landing area was short, he had difficulty stopping, and his airplane nosed over in swampy, grassy area. After the accident, the Alaska State Trooper flew the pilot, and the stranded hunter out, and then flew the accident pilot and a mechanic back in. The mechanic changed the propeller and replaced one wing lift strut. The pilot reported that the landing area was, "...not a good place to land, and I would not have gone in there if it had not been a rescue situation."
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: 5,500 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 30 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: Wiseman 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 |
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 N9950Q 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.