Piper PA-18 accident near Circle, Alaska, August 9, 1997
On August 9, 1997 at about 1:30 am local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N339T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Circle, 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 inadequate visual lookout by the pilot, and his selection of a landing area with high vegetation in the landing path. Factors which contributed to the accident were fatigue and the high vegatation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1997 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Circle, 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 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N339T · registry record · serial 18-2453
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tundra tire equipped airplane touched down at the beginning of the 1,100-foot-long by 50-feet-wide grass strip. The right wing contacted willow brush, and the airplane ground looped. The pilot said he was trying to land at the beginning of the landing area, and did not see the brush. He also noted that he was fatigued.
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: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 811 hours in all; 750 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 760 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,917 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1997; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRC AK at 8:15 pm
- Destination: 28 Mi Up Yukon AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 1,100 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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 N339T 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.