Piper PA-18-150 accident near Wasilla, Alaska, August 27, 2010
On August 27, 2010 at about 4:30 am local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N9730P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska (Wasilla airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, resulting in a runway excursion and nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2010 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska · Wasilla · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N9730P · registry record · serial 18-7609007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was returning to his home airport from another local airport, operating the airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 91. He said after landing on the gravel runway, the airplane went off the right side of the runway, and vegetation caused it to pull hard to the right. The pilot said once off the runway, the airplane encountered a culvert and nosed over. He said there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, and that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and lift struts.
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
- 552230 during descent - emergency
- 552300 during descent - emergency
- 552470 during descent - emergency
- 552096 during descent - emergency
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 100 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 43 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 5, 2009
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,464 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, May 17, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: PAUO Willow AK at 11:15 pm
- Destination: PAWS Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21R, 1,690 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; thin overcast at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°C, dew point 0°C
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N9730P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 ANC10CA077.