Piper PA-18-150 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 29, 2010
On September 29, 2010 at about 1:00 am local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N6819L, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Anchorage, 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 student pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for an off-airport landing, resulting in the airplane nosing over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2010 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6819L · no longer on the register · serial 18-7409103
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, during a local flight he elected to make an off-airport landing. During the landing, the main landing gear encountered a ditch that had been obscured by tall grass and, when the landing gear struck the ditch, the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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 with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 20 hours in all; 10 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,820 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2010
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 7:00 pm
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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 N6819L 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.