Piper PA-18 accident near Umiat, Alaska, September 8, 1986
On September 8, 1986 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N9049Z, was destroyed in an accident near Umiat, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 8, 1986 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Umiat, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N9049Z · no longer on the register · serial 18-6641
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED ON SEPTEMBER 7, 1986 FOR A LOCAL HUNTING TRIP WITH A CLIENT. THE AIRPLANE DID NOT RETURN AND THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND ON SEPTEMBER 9, 1986. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY POST-IMPACT FIRE. ACCORDING TO THE GUIDE, FOR WHOM THE PILOT WAS WORKING, THE AIRPLANE WAS USING UNLEADED AUTOMOTIVE FUEL. THE ENGINE TEARDOWN REVEALED ONLY IMPACT AND FIRE DAMAGE.
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: 584 hours in all; 533 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,197 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 29, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from UMT, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.