Piper PA-22-150 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, February 1, 2026
On February 1, 2026 at about 4:21 am local time, a 1960 Piper PA-22-150, registered N3263Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 1, 2026 · about 4:21 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150, built 1960 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3263Z · registry record · serial 227212
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 31, 2026, about 1921 Alaska standard time, a Piper PA-22-150 airplane, N3263Z, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska. The pilot was uninjured, and the passenger was transported to the hospital with potentially serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, earlier in the evening, he and the passenger departed Kenai Municipal Airport (ENA), Kenai, for a personal flight to Merrill Field Airport (MRI), Anchorage, with about 36 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel onboard. The flight to Anchorage was uneventful. After parking in the transient area, the pilot and passenger left for dinner and later returned to the airplane. The pilot conducted an engine run-up at transient parking and then taxied to Runway 34, where he was instructed to expect a Campbell Departure to the south. Shortly after takeoff from Runway 34, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot maneuvered the airplane in a right-banking turn back toward the runway environment, and the airplane impacted the airport ramp before coming to rest on Taxiway Alpha, about 950 ft northeast of the departure end of Runway 34. Figure 1 Diagram of accident site with flightpath, airport, and weather data The outboard right wing, beyond the lift strut, and right aileron exhibited spanwise deformation consistent with impact damage. The right main gear collapsed and folded backwards against the fuselage. The nose gear collapsed and folded laterally towards the left side of the fuselage. One propeller blade was curled backwards and had left witness marks on the left side of the cowling. Figure 2 Accident airplane at accident site (NTSB Photo) A security camera at the airport captured video and audio of the airplane’s taxi and takeoff roll. Shortly after the airplane exited the camera frame, the engine can be heard sputtering, followed by a loss of power. Engine power is then momentarily restored before the airplane impacts the ramp area. An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Alaska Regional Office responded to the accident site and documented the airplane wreckage. During the on-scene examination, the investigator recovered a data card containing flightpath and engine monitoring data. The wreckage will be recovered to a secure facility for further examination.
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 engine power (partial) during takeoff defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Destination: ENA Kenai AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 040° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from PAMR
Weather report (METAR): METAR PAMR 010353Z COR 04003KT 10SM SCT100 M03/M06 A2973 RMK AO2 SLP070 T10281056
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N3263Z 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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ANC26LA013.