Piper PA-12 accident near Windy Fork, Alaska, August 13, 1989
On August 13, 1989 at about 8:00 am local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N7542H, was destroyed in an accident near Windy Fork, Alaska. It was a personal 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED WHILE OPERATING TO OR FROM THE GRAVEL BAR, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL. THE RISING TERRAIN WAS CONSIDERED A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 1989 · about 8:00 am local time
- Place
- Windy Fork, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N7542H · no longer on the register · serial 12-408
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & PAX DEPARTED ON A SHEEP HUNTING TRIP ON 8/5/89 & WERE EXPECTED TO RETURN BY 8/19/89. WHEN THEY WERE OVERDUE, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED & THE ACFT WAS FOUND ON 8/20/89, WHERE IT CRASHED INTO RISING TERRAIN NEAR A GRAVEL BAR. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE ACDNT MAY HAVE OCCURRED AS THE ACFT WAS BEING OPERD FROM THE GRAVEL BAR. AN EXAM REVEALED THE ACFT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, CONSISTENT WITH A STALL. NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES OF THE ACFT WERE FOUND DRG THE INVESTIGATION. ON AN APPLICATION FOR THE PLT'S LAST MED CERT, DATED 12/16/88, HE RPRTD A TOTAL FLT TIME OF 270 HRS. ELEV OF THE CRASH SITE WAS APRX 2800 FT.
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: 270 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,574 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 1989; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.