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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1982 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Near Glennallen, Alaska · 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.
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.