Piper PA-16 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, March 17, 2013
On March 17, 2013 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-16, registered N5942H, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Big Lake, Alaska (Private 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 decision to land on unsuitable terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2013 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-16 · all PA-16s on the register
- Registration
- N5942H · registry record · serial 16-564
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane on a 1,400-foot-long, remote airstrip located on a frozen, snow-covered lake. According to the pilot, the surface of the airstrip appeared to be hard, compacted snow with a turn-around at its south end. Before beginning the approach, the pilot determined a touchdown point in the turn-around area to afford maximum use of the landing surface. After touchdown, the main wheels sank into the snow, and the airplane nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder, lift struts, and wings. Upon exiting the airplane, the pilot realized that the turn-around area was loose, soft snow that had not been compacted. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) 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 › Snow/slush/ice covered › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,908 hours in all; 171 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 3,751 as pilot in command; 474 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 27, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,407 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAAQ Palmer AK at 2:30 pm
- Destination: PVT Big Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,400 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from PAAQ, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on April 18, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N5942H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5942H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-16 Clipper 276 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES 6,132 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Warren "Bud" Woods Palmer Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N5942H 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC13CA034.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.