Piper PA-18A 150 accident near Denali, Alaska, September 4, 2024
On September 4, 2024 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1956 Piper PA-18A 150, registered N424RD, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Denali, Alaska (Yanert Strip airport). 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
Failure to maintain clearance from terrain due to the airplane’s encounter with windshear during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2024 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Denali, Alaska · Yanert Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18A 150, built 1956 · all PA-18A 150s on the register
- Registration
- N424RD · registry record · serial 18-5169
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported he was attempting to depart from a remote 600ft-long airstrip. The pilot said just after the airplane lifted off the ground, it encountered windshear and did not gain sufficient altitude to clear rising terrain at the end of the airstrip. The airplane’s tailwheel impacted terrain, and the airplane veered to the left. Subsequently, the airplane impacted terrain again and came to rest upright. The right wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Climb rate › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 337 hours in all; 269 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 262 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 30, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,817.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2A (piston); 359 hours total
The flight
- Destination: PAIN Denali AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 am from PAIN, 35 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAIN 041756Z AUTO VRB05KT 10SM OVC090 11/02 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP131 T01060022 10106 20039 58019
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 5, 2025. 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 | Photographs | PDF, 1 page · our copy | 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.