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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1993 · about 8:00 pm local time
- 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
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC93LA141.