Amateur-built PA-18 REPLICA accident near Willow, Alaska, October 24, 2021
On October 24, 2021 at about 2:25 am local time, a amateur-built PA-18 REPLICA, registered N368G, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Willow, Alaska (Minuteman Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 2021 · about 2:25 am local time
- Place
- Willow, Alaska · Minuteman Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PA-18 REPLICA
- Registration
- N368G · no longer on the register · serial 1801
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing his experimental, amateur-built airplane at a private airport when the airplane impacted terrain in a nose-down, near-vertical attitude short of the runway. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. No significant tree impacts were observed on the airframe. Based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. At the pilot’s request, numerous design changes were incorporated into the wings, ailerons, and flaps of the accident airplane. The manufacturer of the kit and the designer of the flaps stated that they told the pilot and builder that the design changes were not recommended; however, the kit was built to the pilot’s specifications. It is likely that the design changes affected the stall characteristic of the airplane; however, the role those changes played in the accident sequence could not be determined.
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 approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Superior Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 1,200 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.12 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from PAWS, 17 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAWS 240256Z AUTO 05007KT 10SM CLR 07/M02 A2912 RMK AO2 SLP866 T00671022 51016
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on May 3, 2023. 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 | Witness Statement - Passenger | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Electronic Devices Email Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Electronic Devices Email Report - Attachment | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.