Piper PA-18 accident near Palmer, Alaska, April 15, 1996
On April 15, 1996 at about 3:00 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N3908Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palmer, Alaska (Farm Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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, and his selection of unsuitable terrain on which to land a ski equipped airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 1996 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · Farm Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N3908Z · registry record · serial 18-7721
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing a wheel/ski equipped airplane toward the northeast at an airstrip located on his farm. The landing area was about 1,500 feet long, 50 feet wide, and consisted of dry sod. The pilot indicated that the airplane slowed rapidly when the skis contacted the landing surface. Subsequently, the airplane's tail rose, and the airplane nosed over.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,600 hours in all; 7,900 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 8,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,570 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 22, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Yentna River AK at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0, 1,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.