Piper PA18 accident near Arctic Village, Alaska, September 16, 2020
On September 16, 2020 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1956 Piper PA18, registered N5779D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Arctic Village, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a rock damaging the empennage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2020 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Arctic Village, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA18 A, built 1956 · all PA18s on the register
- Registration
- N5779D · registry record · serial 18-5295
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while attempting to land on a remote off-airport gravel bar, the right tundra-tire displaced a rock, which subsequently impacted the right horizontal stabilizer. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Debris/dirt/foreign object › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,500 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command; 1,900 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,680 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 A2B (piston); 3,485 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PARC Arctic Village AK at 9:00 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from Arct, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N5779D 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.