Piper PA-18 accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, September 10, 1983
On September 10, 1983 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N3421P, was destroyed in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 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
- September 10, 1983 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N3421P · registry record · serial 18-6775
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & HIS WIFE HAD FLOWN TO AN AREA WHERE SHE HAD SEEN A CARIBOU THAT SHE WANTED TO SHOOT. AFTER LANDING ON A GRAVEL BAR, SHE SHOT THE CARIBOU, BUT THEN COMPLAINED OF A BAD HEADACHE & VISION PROBLEMS. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THEY LOADED THE MEAT & HORNS IN THE ACFT, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, HIS WIFE'S HEADACHE HAD GOTTEN WORSE. HE THOUGHT THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, AT APRX 20 FT AGL, HIS WIFE MADE AN UNUSUAL SOUND & HE FELT A STRONG FORCE ON THE RIGHT RUDDER. (LATER, HE STATED THAT HE THOUGHT SHE HAD A SEIZURE.) REPORTEDLY, HE SHOUTED FOR HER TO GET OFF OF THE CONTROLS, THEN FELT A LOSS OF LIFT & WAS UNABLE TO OVERCOME THE RUDDER FORCE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED ON A RIVER BANK. HIS WIFE RECEIVED A HEAD INJURY & WAS FATALLY INJURED. AN AUTOPSY OF THE PLT'S WIFE DID NOT VERIFY THAT SHE HAD A SEIZURE.
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: 4,712 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 4,579 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 4, 1983; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 ANC83FA167.