Piper PA-18-150 accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, July 13, 1996
On July 13, 1996 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N2561N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska. 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
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1996 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N2561N · no longer on the register · serial 18-8009038
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported directional control difficulties while landing the tundra tire equipped airplane at a rural airstrip used to support his mining activities. The airplane's right main landing gear subsequently collapsed, and the right wing spar, right wing struts, and a portion of the fuselage were damaged. The pilot elected to make temporary repairs to the landing gear by using water pipe, and to the lift struts by taping boards to them. He ferried the airplane from the mining strip to Mc Grath, Alaska, where he obtained fuel. Upon departing Mc Grath, the main landing gear collapsed, and further damaged the airplane (NTSB Accident Report ANC96LA105).
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,335 hours in all; 56 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,314 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 3, 1995; 138 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OTZ at 11:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
Other NTSB records under N2561N 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.