Stinson 108 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, August 14, 1997
On August 14, 1997 at about 5:30 am local time, a Stinson 108, registered N97959, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, 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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions. A factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1997 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108 · all 108s on the register
- Registration
- N97959 · no longer on the register · serial 108-159
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was attempting to land on an off-airport ridgetop with a 20 knot left crosswind, gusting to 30 knots. The airplane touched down and bounced into the air. The pilot briskly applied full throttle, realized that the engine would not accelerate rapidly from idle, and closed the throttle to land. The airplane drifted off the right side of the strip, and 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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,796 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,739 as pilot in command; 1,477 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,658 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 1997; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A4-150-B31 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Nordale Strip AK at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.