Piper PA 18-150 accident near Mccarthy, Alaska, June 4, 2015
On June 4, 2015 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1961 Piper PA 18-150, registered N985W, suffered minor damage in an accident during standing (engine(s) operating) near Mccarthy, Alaska (Mc Carthy airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to ensure adequate clearance from the spinning propeller while traversing the area between the leading edge of the wing and the nose of the airplane. Contributing to the accident was the decision to leave the cockpits of the airplanes unattended while the engines were idling and gear was being loaded on board.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2015 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Mccarthy, Alaska · Mc Carthy · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 18-150, built 1961 · all PA 18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N985W · registry record · serial 18-7609
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident airplane and three other airplanes were parked in a slightly staggered line and were being prepared for a cross-country group instructional flight. To stave off swarms of mosquitos while loading the airplanes, the engines of all four airplanes were started and allowed to operate at idle with the cockpits unattended. While the pilot was loading gear onto the right side of the accident airplane, the unoccupied airplane to the left of the accident airplane began slowly moving forward. The pilot attempted to go around the front of the accident airplane toward the left wing, likely to avoid the propeller of the moving airplane. Subsequently, the pilot was struck three times by the back of the accident airplane's spinning propeller.
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
- AC/prop/rotor contact w person during standing (engine(s) operating) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot of other aircraft
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: none
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IYS Wasilla AK
- Destination: KTN Ketchikan AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.38 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PAGK, 95 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on September 9, 2015. 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 | Record of Conversation with Park Ranger | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Photo 1 Left Wingtip N985W | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | N985W Left Wing | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Right Wing, N53572 | PDF, 1 page | 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 N985W 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
- N985W on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub 3,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mccarthy Airport · nearest airport
- Wasilla Airport · departed from
- Ketchikan International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N985W 1 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/ANC15LA035.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.