Piper PA-18-150 accident near Delta Junction, Alaska, August 28, 2012
On August 28, 2012 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4316Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Delta Junction, Alaska (Slate Creek 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to identify the appropriate touchdown point, which resulted 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 28, 2012 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Delta Junction, Alaska · Slate Creek · 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
- N4316Z · registry record · serial 18-8628
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane on a rough and uneven, brush-covered, airstrip. Before beginning the approach, he determined the wind direction and a touchdown point. However, after landing, the right main tire dropped into a hole, the tailwheel impacted brush and small stumps, and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the rudder, lift struts, and wings. Upon exiting the airplane, the pilot realized he had identified the wrong touchdown point and landed short of the airstrip. The pilot indicated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies 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)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 699 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 683 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,589 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 17, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Delta Junction AK
- Destination: Delta Junction AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 35
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; ovct at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
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.
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.