Piper PA-18-150 accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska, September 15, 1994
On September 15, 1994 at about 4:15 am local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N3930Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska. 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
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 1994 · about 4:15 am local time
- Place
- Port Alsworth, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3930Z · registry record · serial 18-7777
- 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 REPORTED THAT AFTER LIFTOFF FROM THE REMOTE LAKE, THE AIRPLANE WAS CLIMBING AT THE BEST ANGLE OF CLIMB AIRSPEED WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED 'DEAD AIR'. THE AIRSPEED BEGAN TO DECREASE, AND THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO LOSE ALTITUDE. IT THEN COLLIDED WITH SEVERAL TREES ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE POINT OF DEPARTURE. THE PILOT DESCRIBED THE WIND CONDITIONS AS LIGHT AND VARIABLE.
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: 1,248 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 92 in the last 30 days; 1,155 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,284 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 9, 1993; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,925 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: 4W Air
The flight
- Destination: AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.