Piper PA-18-150 accident near Wasilla, Alaska, September 11, 1982
On September 11, 1982 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N63837, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska (Kings Lake airport). 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 11, 1982 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska · Kings Lake
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N63837 · registry record · serial 18-7809149
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LANDED ON ANDERSON LAKE TO OBTAIN FUEL. AFTER REFUELING, HE ABORTED HIS FIRST ATTEMPT TO TAKEOFF WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS SLOW TO ACCELERATE. ABOUT 20 GAL OF FUEL WAS THEN DRAINED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. ANOTHER TAKEOFF WAS STARTED BY MAKING A STEP TURN TO THE DEPARTURE HEADING. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE LIFTED OFF AT 45 MPH WITH 1/2 FLAPS. HE STATED THAT IT APPEARED THE ENGINE WAS NOT DEVELOPING FULL POWER AND THAT HE POSSIBLY ENCOUNTERED A WIND SHEAR CONDITION. AFTER REACHING ABOUT 100 FT AGL, THE PLANE WOULD NOT CLIMB. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLANE COLLIDED WITH TRANSMISSION LINES ALONG A ROAD THAT DIVIDED ANDERSON LAKE AND KING LAKE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN CRASHED INTO KING LAKE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 800 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z16 Anderson Lake AK at 11:00 am
- Destination: LHD Lake Hood AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.