Piper PA-18 accident near Bernard Glacier, Alaska, August 9, 1993
On August 9, 1993 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N1200A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bernard Glacier, Alaska (Remote Strip airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, CONCERNING THE LANDING AT THE REMOTE STRIP, WHICH RESULTED IN A NOSE OVER, WHILE USING HEAVY BRAKES TO STOP. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE ROUGH/UNEVEN CONDITION OF THE LANDING STRIP.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1993 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 1993
- Place
- Bernard Glacier, Alaska · Remote Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N1200A · registry record · serial 1200
- 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
THE PILOT/OPERATOR STATED THAT HE WAS ON A FLIGHT TO TRANSPORT A PARTY OF TWO TO HUNT SHEEP. THE DESTINATION WAS A HIGH ALTITUDE, ROUGH STRIP AT A REMOTE LOCATION. THE AIRPLANE WAS A PIPER PA-18 EQUIPPED WITH TUNDRA TIRES AND A 3RD SEAT, BUT THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS HAULING ONE PASSENGER AT A TIME. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN HE LANDED, THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN HARD AND BOUNCED. HE SAID THAT HE APPLIED BRAKES TOO HARD, AND THE AIRPLANE 'FLIPPED' NEAR THE END OF THE ROLL-OUT. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN MODIFIED WITH THE TUNDRA TIRES, 3RD SEAT, AND A 160 HP ENGINE WITH AN INAPPLICABLE STC.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,476 hours in all; 1,691 in this make and model; 207 in the last 90 days; 112 in the last 30 days; 3,281 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,639 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 29, 1993; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MXY Mccarthy AK at 2:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 500 ft by 15 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 12:00 pm
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 N1200A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1200A on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub 3,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B 92 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N1200A 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC93LA141.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.