Piper PA-18-150 accident near Mcgrath, Alaska, September 16, 2023
On September 16, 2023 at about 2:30 am local time, a 1957 Piper PA-18-150, registered N1755P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mcgrath, 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 failure to maintain directional control during after encountering a wind gust during landing that resulted in an impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2023 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Mcgrath, 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 1957 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N1755P · registry record · serial 18-4075
- 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 landing at a remote, off-airport site, a gust of wind pushed the airplane into a stand of trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and right wing lift strut. He stated there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not provide an NTSB Form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report.
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 on ground during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 995 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.34 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from AMC, 2 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAMC 152353Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 12/04 A2934 RMK AO2 SLP941 T01220044 10122 20050 58007
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 28, 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 | Mor - Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1755P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ANC23LA083.