Piper PA-18-150 accident near Willow, Alaska, September 29, 2021
On September 29, 2021 at about 6:25 pm local time, a 1975 Piper PA-18-150, registered N9724P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willow, Alaska. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance to terrain following a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2021 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Willow, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150, built 1975 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N9724P · registry record · serial 18-7609003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported completing numerous overflights of the intended off-airport landing area. He was executing a touch and go to be sure the terrain was not too rough. He touched down at his intended spot, but the airspeed was higher than anticipated and he applied full throttle to initiate a go-around. The airplane became airborne, but the landing gear did not clear a hill beyond the intended landing area. The airplane nosed over before coming to a rest with damage to the right-wing strut and the rudder. The pilot reported there were no failures or malfunctions related to the airplane before the accident.
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
- 553470 during descent - uncontrolled
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, helicopter
- Flight time: 13,429 hours in all; 959 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: April 9, 2021
- Medical certificate: class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,446 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, November 17, 2020; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 4,461 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: 6AK7 Wasilla AK at 5:55 pm
- Destination: PAUO Willow AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°C, dew point 23°C
- Altimeter: 29.540001 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 am from PAWS, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC21LA098.