Piper PA-18 accident near Chickaloon, Alaska, September 16, 2009
On September 16, 2009 at about 1:00 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N9840Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chickaloon, 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to land on unsuitable terrain, which resulted in a nose-over on landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2009 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Chickaloon, 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
- N9840Q · registry record · serial 18-3379
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo airline transport pilot reported he was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane at an 800-foot-long off-airport, gravel-covered site, at the conclusion of a Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that during the landing roll the main wheels sunk into an area of soft, rough terrain, and the airplane nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, lift struts, fuselage and empennage. He reported that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
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
- 552096 during descent - emergency
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Soft › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, AME, ASE, APLN, none
- Flight time: 13,300 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,686 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, September 8, 2008; 3,686 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: 0AK1 Wasilla AK at 7:20 pm
- Destination: Chickaloon AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°C, dew point 0°C
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC09CA099.