Piper PA-18-150 accident near Deadhorse, Alaska, August 26, 1995
On August 26, 1995 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N1590R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Deadhorse, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper in-flight planning and decision by flying into a box canyon.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 1995 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Deadhorse, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N1590R · no longer on the register · serial 18-7609002
- 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 Operator stated the pilot was supposed to transport two hunters from a small takeoff/landing area known locally as the 'Cub' strip to a larger takeoff/landing area known locally as the '185' strip. This would require the pilot to fly two trips. One hunter was transported, but the airplane did not return with the second hunter. The airplane wreckage was located in a box canyon at the 5000 foot level. The pilot and second hunter were on board. The entrance to the box canyon was narrow and rose consistently. The box canyon could not be recognized from the entrance due to an 'S' turn in the canyon. The terrain immediately below the wreckage rose at a 30 degree slope. The airplane crashed on a 15 degree slope. The area in which the airplane crashed was 300 feet wide and was surrounded by vertically rising terrain.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 1,520 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,090 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 26, 1995; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: 40 Mile Air, LTD
The flight
- Departed from: Cub Strip AK at 1:45 pm
- Destination: 185 Strip AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 99 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°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 N1590R 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.