Piper PA-18 accident near Skwentna, Alaska, August 22, 2023
On August 22, 2023 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 1964 Piper PA-18, registered N4111Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Skwentna, 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to taxi the airplane through tall grass without visual reference to the surface which obscured uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 2023 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, 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, built 1964 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N4111Z · registry record · serial 18-8153
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he landed on an unimproved strip, and then elected to reposition the airplane through an area of tall grass. During taxi, the main landing gear wheels hit a dip in the uneven terrain, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the rudder and right wing. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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 taxi (from runway)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,976 hours in all; 448 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 4,796 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 22, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,105 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 4, 2023; 10 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 A2B (piston); 335 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PALH Anchorage AK at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from PATK, 44 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PATK 221953Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 16/11 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP181 T01560106
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
NTSB23LA064 Photograph 1 – View of fuselage, wings, and empennage
NTSB23LA064 Photograph 2 – View of empennage and fuselageThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 4, 2024. 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 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | 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 N4111Z 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.