Piper PA-18 accident near Tok, Alaska, August 16, 2006
On August 16, 2006 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N8597D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tok, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 compensate for the wind conditions during the takeoff roll, which resulted in a collision with a tree. A factor contributing to the accident was a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2006 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tok, 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
- N8597D · registry record · serial 18-6248
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot reported that he was departing a remote mountain ridge on a Title 14, CFR Part 135 cross-country air taxi flight. The takeoff area was about 500 feet long, and about 15 feet wide. The pilot said he departed downhill with a 10 mph quartering tailwind. About 250 feet from the starting point, the pilot said that the crosswind pushed the airplane to the right, and the right wing collided with a tree. The airplane veered to the right, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane received structural damage to the right wing.
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: 2,355 hours in all; 223 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Forty Mile Air Ltd.
The flight
- Departed from: Tok AK
- Destination: PATJ Tok AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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 N8597D 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.