Piper PA-18 accident near Nenana, Alaska, July 2, 1997
On July 2, 1997 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N5582C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nenana, Alaska (Nenana airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 a collapsed main landing gear. His lack of experience in tailwheel airplanes was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1997 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Nenana, Alaska · Nenana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N5582C · registry record · serial 18-8473
- 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 was landing a tundra tire and tailwheel equipped airplane on an asphalt surfaced runway for the purpose of practicing touch-and-go landings. During the landing roll, the airplane ground looped to the right. The left main gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. The pilot indicated he had accrued 172.4 hours of total pilot experience with about 18 hours in tailwheel airplanes. The airplane received damage to the left wing, left landing gear, left elevator, and the fuselage, forward of the tail wheel. Also, the pilot reported calm wind conditions.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 172 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 59 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,847 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 18, 1997; 14 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: FAI Fairbanks AK at 10:30 am
- Destination: ENN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 3, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N5582C 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.