Piper PA-22 accident near Ugashik, Alaska, April 1, 2008
On April 1, 2008 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22, registered N5840Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Ugashik, Alaska. It was a personal 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. A factor contributing to the accident was water on the surface of the ice-covered lake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 1, 2008 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ugashik, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · all PA-22s on the register
- Registration
- N5840Z · no longer on the register · serial 22-9694
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing a tailwheel and tundra tire-equipped airplane on an ice-covered lake. During the landing roll, the main landing gear tires encountered an area of water, which rapidly slowed the airplane, resulting in a loss of control and a nose over. The airplane received structural damage to the wings, wing lift struts, and the vertical 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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Wet/muddy › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,954 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 13, 2007; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,658 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235C2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9A8 Ugashik AK at 11:30 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N5840Z 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.