Piper PA-18 accident near Dillingham, Alaska, March 21, 2006
On March 21, 2006 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N6770B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dillingham, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 maneuvering for landing, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with snow-covered 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
- March 21, 2006 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dillingham, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N6770B · no longer on the register · serial 18-5003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was maneuvering over a remote, snow-covered area, preparing to land a ski-equipped airplane on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was accompanied by a second airplane throughout most of the day, making multiple landings to check trap lines. The accident pilot announced that he was planning to land and reset a trap, and the second airplane continued to a remote cabin where the two airplanes were planning to meet. When the accident airplane did not arrive, the second airplane searched for and located the burning wreckage. Search and rescue personnel responded to the scene and transported the pilot to a hospital. The accident pilot reported that he remembered circling over his intended landing area, but did not remember the crash. Photographs of the wreckage revealed that the airplane collided with the snow in a near level attitude with little forward movement. The airplane had upward crushing of the wings and fuselage. The right wing was displaced forward of its normal position and had aft leading edge crushing of the outboard half of the wing. The pilot said there was no mechanical malfunction of the flight controls or the engine. In the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) submitted by the pilot, the pilot described the history of the flight and noted, "Presumably - Unintended stalled condition at relatively low altitude led to high impact crash."
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 3,150 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,355 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2005; 135 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PADL Dillingham AK at 12:32 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 5°F (-15°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.
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.