Piper PA-18 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, August 2, 2009
On August 2, 2009 at about 2:00 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N7509K, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Skwentna, 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 misjudged landing on a downsloping, short landing strip, resulting in a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2009 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N7509K · no longer on the register · serial 18223
- 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 landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane at his remote, 650-foot-long private airstrip, at the conclusion of a personal cross-country flight operated under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. He said that wind conditions required an easterly approach, over an area of stump-covered, down sloping terrain. During the approach, the airplane’s right main wheel struck a tree stump at the approach end of the site, and the airplane subsequently nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. In his written report to the NTSB, the pilot noted that the accident might have been avoided if he had waited until wind conditions allowed for a different approach, or if he had waited to reduce engine power after clearance with the stump was ensured.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 270 hours in all; 270 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 7:30 pm
- Destination: Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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 N7509K 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.