Piper PA-18 accident near Near Glennallen, Alaska, September 17, 1982
On September 17, 1982 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N3771P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Glennallen, 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 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
- September 17, 1982 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Near Glennallen, Alaska · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N3771P · registry record · serial 18-4655
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLIPPED OVER BY GUSTY TAILWIND AFTER THE PILOT LANDED DOWNWIND. NO LOGICAL REASON OFFERED FOR DOWNWIND LANDING.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 3,724 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 3,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,034 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CZO Chistochina AK at 3:00 pm
- Destination: (Remote Area) AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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
- N3771P on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub 3,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Chistochina Airport · departed from
- 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/ANC82DA092.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.