Piper PA-18 accident near Homer, Alaska, October 18, 1987
On October 18, 1987 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N4193Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Homer, Alaska (Homer airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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
- October 18, 1987 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Homer, Alaska · Homer · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N4193Z · registry record · serial 188380
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE WEATHER BETWEEN HOMER AND ANCHORAGE INCLUDED MARGINAL CONDITIONS ALONG SEGMENTS OF THE ROUTE. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT WAS ENCOURAGED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AN OFFER TO TRAVEL BY AUTOMOBILE AND STILL ARRIVE IN TIME FOR A COMMITMENT IN ANCHORAGE. HE DECLINED AND DEPARTED HOMER WITH HIS WIFE AND INFANT CHILD IN HIS AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE CRASHED ABOUT 17 MILES FROM THE VOR. THE WX AT THE SCENE WAS REPORTED BY PLTS ALERTED TO THE ACC BY THE ELT. EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED A SPIN TYPE MANEUVER WITH MINIMAL ROTATION AT IMPACT. NO PRE-IMPACT DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED. THERE WAS FUEL IN THE RT TANK AND THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS ON THIS TANK.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,550 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HOM Homer AK at 11:49 am
- Destination: Z41 Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from HOM, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.