Piper PA-18-150 accident near Glacier View, Alaska, May 29, 2022
On May 29, 2022 at about 2:30 am local time, a 1963 Piper PA-18-150, registered N4024Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Glacier View, 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 conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the landing approach, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low to recover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2022 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Glacier View, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150, built 1963 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4024Z · registry record · serial 18-7977
- 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 turning the airplane from a downwind to base leg to an off-airport landing site, the airplane’s left wing stalled, and the airplane began to spin. The pilot did not have sufficient altitude to recover, and the airplane descended into a river short of the intended landing area. The airplane was destroyed and was unrecoverable. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident 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 approach (VFR pattern base) 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 1,100 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 6, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
Passenger
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 58AK Wasilla AK at 1:45 am
- Destination: Glacier View AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:30 pm
Weather report (METAR): METAR PAAQ 281853Z 18004KT 10SM CLR 18/02 A2985 RMK AO2 SLP108 T01780017
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 21, 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos Statement | PDF, 1 page | 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.