Piper PA-18-150 accident near Birchwood, Alaska, June 3, 2006
On June 3, 2006 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N7452J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Birchwood, Alaska (Birchwood airport). 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 improper servicing/adjustment of the main landing gear brakes, which resulted in a locked brake and a loss of control while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2006 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Birchwood, Alaska · Birchwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N7452J · registry record · serial 18-7452
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that he was taxiing for takeoff on a personal, cross-country flight under Title 14, CFR part 91, when the left brake locked. According to a witness, the pilot stated that he had serviced the brakes prior to taxiing. A mechanic repairing the airplane said he found that the left brake was over-serviced with fluid, and that the right brake linkage was improperly adjusted, leaving the left brake tight, and the right brake loose. The airplane sustained damage to its wings, wing spars, and horizontal stabilizer.
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: 4 in this make and model; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,318 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 B2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PABV Birchwood AK
- Destination: Sandy OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1L, 4,010 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.