Piper PA-18 accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, August 31, 1989
On August 31, 1989 at about 1:45 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N150LT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska (Turnover Hill airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PLT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE ROUGH TERRAIN, RAIN, HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, TAILWIND, GUSTS, AND THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF BRAKES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1989 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · Turnover Hill · map
- 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
- N150LT · no longer on the register · serial 18-7718
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PLT WAS LNDG AT AN AIRSTRIP ON A MOUNTAIN TOP, THE ACFT NOSED OVER. HE BLAMED THE NOSE-OVER ON A COMBINATION OF ROUGH LANDING AREA, GUSTY TAILWIND, RAIN ON THE WINDSHIELD & HEAVY APPLICATION OF BRAKES. THE 500' AIRSTRIP WAS AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 4000' AGL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,342 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1989; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Talkeetna Air
The flight
- Departed from: TKA Talkeetna AK at 8:20 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 4, 500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 10 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.
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.