Piper PA-38-112 accident near Cantwell, Alaska, July 3, 1990
On July 3, 1990 at about 5:00 am local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N25759, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cantwell, Alaska (Cantwell 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT FAILED TO UNDERSTAND THE PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS OF THE AIRPLANE AND HIS LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE ACCIDENT WAS OPERATING THE AIRPLANE AT A GREATER THAN ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1990 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Cantwell, Alaska · Cantwell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N25759 · registry record · serial 38-81A0071
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE DID NOT CLIMB AS WELL AS HE HAD ANTICIPATED, AND THAT THE AIRPLANE SETTLED INTO BRUSH SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE. UTILIZING WEIGHTS SUPPLIED BY THE PILOT, AS WELL AS THE WEIGHT AND BALANCE DOCUMENTS FROM THE AIRPLANE, DISCLOSED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS 40 POUNDS OVER THE ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. CONSULTING THE PERFORMANCE DATA CONTAINED IN THE AIRPLANE'S OPERATING HANDBOOK REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE WOULD REQUIRE CONSIDERABLY MORE RUNWAY THAN WHAT WAS AVAILABLE TO CLEAR OBSTRUCTIONS AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY.
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: 131 hours in all; 91 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 77 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Vernair, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: TKA Talkeetna AK at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,100 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°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.
Other NTSB records under N25759 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.