Piper PA-12 accident near Cooper Landing, Alaska, June 28, 2006
On June 28, 2006 at about 1:30 am local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N7658H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cooper Landing, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while performing a low level pass, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and collision with terrain. A factor contributing to the accident was an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 2006 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Cooper Landing, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N7658H · no longer on the register · serial 12-537
- 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 departed with a passenger in a float-equipped airplane for the purpose of dropping food packages to a group of hikers at a remote cabin. After arrival in the area, the pilot performed two low-level passes. On the third pass, the passenger, in the rear seat of the airplane, began dropping packages. The airplane then made a turn, and flew between the cabin and the side of a mountain slope, located north of the cabin, on what appeared to the be the fourth pass. As the airplane came by the cabin, witnesses saw the left wing and nose come up. The airplane then turned 180 degrees to the right, and descended to the ground in a nose-down attitude. The airplane collided with the ground in a near-vertical attitude. Members of the group cared for the pilot and passenger, and one member departed the cabin on-foot to notify law enforcement personnel. Rescue personnel responded and transported the passenger to a hospital. Examination of the airplane did not disclose any preimpact mechanical malfunction.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 135 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 76 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,268 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320B2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PALH Anchorage AK at 8:00 pm
- Destination: PALH Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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 N7658H 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.