Piper PA-18 accident near Coldfoot, Alaska, September 18, 1997
On September 18, 1997 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N2355H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Coldfoot, Alaska (Coldfoot 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
The overservicing/pressurizing of the hydraulic brake system by maintenance personnel that locked the brake system and prevented directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1997 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Coldfoot, Alaska · Coldfoot · 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
- N2355H · registry record · serial 18-7909175
- 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 airplane had just received a 100-hour inspection from a contract maintenance facility. The pilot was landing the tundra tire, tailwheel-equipped airplane on a gravel runway. During the flight, the pilot utilized a short section of tubing to direct heater air at his feet. During the landing touchdown, the pilot discovered the brakes were locked. The tires skidded on the gravel surface of the runway and the left wing struck the ground. The pilot indicated the brakes remained locked for about 2 hours after the accident. At that time, the wheels turned normally. The airplane utilizes a separate master brake cylinder/brake pedal assembly for each main wheel brake. The master cylinder/brake pedals are located on the cockpit floor, adjacent to the rudder pedals. The brake cylinders are normally serviced by adding hydraulic brake fluid through a small cap on the top of each cylinder. Maintenance personnel from the operator reported that overservicing of the brake cylinders, and heating of the cylinder assembly produced a locked brake condition.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,550 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 97 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,435 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,948 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 16, 1997; 3 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: FAI Fairbanks AK at 1:30 pm
- Destination: CXF
- Runway 19, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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 N2355H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC97TA152.