Piper PA-11 accident near Lake Louise, Alaska, September 10, 2025
On September 10, 2025 at about 10:35 pm local time, a 1949 Piper PA-11, registered N5025H, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Lake Louise, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s encounter with gusting crosswind conditions during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2025 · about 10:35 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Lake Louise, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-11, built 1949 · all PA-11s on the register
- Registration
- N5025H · registry record · serial 11-905
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing from a remote airstrip in his tailwheel equipped airplane. He reported that shortly after takeoff, the airplane encountered a strong crosswind, which resulted in the airplane veering to the right. The pilot attempted to maneuver the airplane into the wind, which resulted in a nose high attitude. Concerned with stall conditions, he attempted to level the wings, and lower the nose of the airplane; however, there was not enough altitude to complete the recovery, and the airplane impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. 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
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Sudden wind shift › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 290 hours in all; 219 in this make and model; 236 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 23, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,174.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 205 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.51 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from PAGK, 59 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAGK 100953Z AUTO 05007KT 10SM OVC065 09/08 A2951 RMK AO2 RAB25E40 SLP993 P0000 T00890078 TSNO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The 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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 22, 2026. 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 · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Wreckage Release | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5025H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-11 Cub Special 443 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC25LA103.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.