Piper PA-18 accident near Noatak, Alaska, April 1, 1997
On April 1, 1997 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N4500W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Noatak, Alaska (Noatak airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop and damage to the airplane. Factors associated with the accident were: the ice/snow covered runway, and the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model of airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 1, 1997 · about 3:45 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Noatak, Alaska · Noatak · cases near this airport · 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
- N4500W · registry record · serial 18-8009019
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, an employee of the National Park Service, related he was returning to his position as a Park Ranger/Pilot after a three month furlough from the park service. The purpose of the accident flight was to regain proficiency in the Piper PA-18 airplane. The pilot said that during the landing roll on the fourth landing, he lost directional control of the airplane, and it ground looped to the left, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Also, the pilot said he did not fly during his furlough, and that his total flight experience in the PA-18 airplane was approximately five hours.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,413 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 5,792 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,109 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 20, 1996; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OTZ Kotzebue AK at 3:00 pm
- Destination: WTK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 4,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: -15°F (-26°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 N4500W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4500W on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub 3,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B 92 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Noatak Airport · nearest airport
- Ralph Wien Memorial · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N4500W 4 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC97TA045.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.