Piper PA-18 accident near Wasilla, Alaska, February 7, 1986
On February 7, 1986 at about 2:22 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N4431Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska (Finger Lake Spb 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 1986 · about 2:22 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska · Finger Lake Spb · cases near this airport
- 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
- N4431Z · registry record · serial 18-1769
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE WHILE TAXIING, INADVERTENTLY TOOK OFF IN GUSTY WIND AND CRASHED INTO ADJACENT TREES.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 408 hours in all; 408 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,534 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1985; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 99Z Wasilla AK at 2:22 pm
- Destination: Palmer AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 5,500 ft by 500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°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.
Other NTSB records under N4431Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4431Z 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 44,844 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B 179 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Finger Lake Seaplane Base · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,930 since 1982 · 824 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,145 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N4431Z 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC86LA024.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.