Piper PA 12 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, June 17, 2017
On June 17, 2017 at about 10:34 pm local time, a 1947 Piper PA 12, registered N4018H, was destroyed in an accident during landing near Skwentna, Alaska (Remote 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 properly secure the external load, which resulted in the load shifting during flight, interference with the water rudder cable, and a subsequent loss of control
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2017 · about 10:34 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · Remote Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 12 NO SERIES, built 1947 · all PA 12s on the register
- Registration
- N4018H · no longer on the register · serial 12-3446
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was transporting about 120 lbs of plywood, secured to the airplane's float struts via cargo straps, to his remote cabin. The pilot reported that, about 200 ft above the ground during the landing approach, the airplane experienced an uncommanded left turn, then the pilot realized that he had no rudder control and that the rudder was "locked to the left." The airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the engine and no anomalies with the airplane before the loss of control. The airplane's water rudder cables descend from the fuselage along the support struts to which the plywood was secured. The water rudders were directly linked to the rudder. It is likely that, during the flight, the plywood shifted and interfered with the water rudder cable, which resulted in the pilot's loss of rudder control during the landing approach.
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
- Aircraft loading event during prior to flight
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › (general) › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › CG/weight distribution › Not specified
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Agricultural/external load sys › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the cabin, seats and restraints
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 20,300 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 20,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 16, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 Series (piston); 2,000 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 80AK Houston AK
- Destination: None Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PASW, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – View of the rear of the airplane
Photo 2 – View of the left side of the airplane
Photo 3 – View of the front of the airplane
Photo 4 – View of the front of the airplaneThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on August 6, 2020. 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, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Additional Questions Email | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot Record of Conversations | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Asi Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4018H: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser 1,247 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,844 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 Series 27,311 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Morvro Lake Seaplane Base · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,930 since 1982 · 824 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,145 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC17LA033.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.