Piper PA-12 accident near Montague Island, Alaska, August 25, 1987
On August 25, 1987 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N3842M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Montague Island, Alaska (Nellie Martin River airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- August 25, 1987 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Montague Island, Alaska · Nellie Martin River · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N3842M · registry record · serial 12-2753
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS MAKING AN APCH FOR A SOFT/SHORT FIELD LANDING AT A STRIP WHICH PARALLELED THE OCEAN SHORELINE ON MONTAGUE ISLAND. HE STATED THAT WHEN HE CAME IN TO LAND, HE MISJUDGED THE HEIGHT & POSITION OF BUSHES NR THE APCH END OF THE STRIP. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT THE TOPS OF BUSHES JUST SHORT OF THE LNDG AREA. THE LIFT STRUTS, TIPS OF THE PROP, LEADING EDGES OF THE WINGS & ELEVATORS WERE DAMAGED DRG THE OCCURRENCE. THE PLT RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM 090 DEG AT 5 TO 10 KTS. A PLT/OPERATOR RPRT SHOWED THE LANDING STRIP WAS ORIENTED ON AN ESE HEADING.
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: 423 hours in all; 89 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,787 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1987; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,838 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 2:45 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 11
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ANC87LA129.