Piper PA-14 accident near Tyonek, Alaska, August 15, 2021
On August 15, 2021 at about 3:45 am local time, a 1948 Piper PA-14, registered N4226H, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Tyonek, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control and adequate airspeed during takeoff which resulted in a collision with a river. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper decision to load the airplane above its maximum allowable gross weight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2021 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Tyonek, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-14, built 1948 · all PA-14s on the register
- Registration
- N4226H · registry record · serial 14-29
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and two passengers were departing from a remote gravel bar located along a river in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. After loading the airplane to 2,100 pounds, which was 165 pounds over the maximum allowable gross weight for the airplane, the pilot began a westerly takeoff since the prevailing wind above the treeline was coming from the west. Once the airplane cleared the treeline, the wind pushed it to the left, he continued the left turn, and the airspeed began to decrease. In effort to correct for the decreasing airspeed, he pushed forward on the airplane’s control stick and pitched the nose of the airplane down. Realizing he would be unable to regain sufficient airspeed, he reduced the engine power to idle, pulled back on the control stick and impacted the river in a nose high attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were 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
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Maximum weight › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- 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: 6,863 hours in all; 236 in this make and model; 620 in the last 90 days; 6,771 as pilot in command; 5,440 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 7, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 121.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 30, 2021; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,935 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2A (piston); 121 hours total
- Operator: Angel Aviation INC
The flight
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 18, 2022. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 3 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 N4226H 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.