Piper PA-17 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, August 4, 1982
On August 4, 1982 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-17, registered N4582H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1982 · about 4:40 pm local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-17 · all PA-17s on the register
- Registration
- N4582H · registry record · serial 17-7
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE LANDING WITH A LIGHT CROSSWIND, THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT GEAR COLLAPSED. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A PRE-ACCIDENT MALFUNCTION OF FAILURE.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 335 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 182 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,152 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 8:30 am
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 23,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:42 am from MRI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4582H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-17 Vagabond 97 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-65 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Merrill Field · nearest airport
- 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/ANC82DA066.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.