Piper PA-22-150 accident near Wasilla, Alaska, December 8, 2022
On December 8, 2022 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1955 Piper PA-22-150, registered N3861P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Wasilla, Alaska (Goose Bay airport). It was an instructional 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 an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in a nose over after the main landing gear wheels broke through deep snow on the snow-covered runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2022 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska · Goose Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150, built 1955 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3861P · registry record · serial 22-3553
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor pilot of the tundra tire-equipped airplane reported that, during a touch-and-go maneuver on a snow-covered runway, the airplane decelerated rapidly as the main landing gear wheels touched down into the deep snow, and he was unable to perform the go around maneuver. The airplane subsequently nosed over sustaining substantial damage to the wing lift struts and rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › (general) › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered surface › Contributed to outcome
Flight instructor
- 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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 112 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 16, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 109 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 13, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,780 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2022; 157 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES (piston); 3,947 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PATK Talkeetna AK at 1:00 pm
- Destination: PAWS Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 15°F (-9°C), dew point 5°F (-15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 pm
Weather report (METAR): PAWS 082256Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR M11/M12 A2946 RMK AO2 SLP984 T11111122 FZRANO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 6, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | 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.
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.