Piper PA-18-160 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, June 18, 1998
On June 18, 1998 at about 1:30 am local time, a Piper PA-18-160, registered N3684Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Roy'S Strip airport). It was a personal flight 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
The pilot's failure to correct engine/propeller torque and P factor, and the subsequent loss of directional control during the takeoff roll. Factors associated with the accident are the narrow, confined, takeoff area, and bordering high vegetation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1998 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Roy'S Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-160 · all PA-18-160s on the register
- Registration
- N3684Z · registry record · serial 18-7416
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported she was attempting to takeoff from a narrow, remote, airstrip bordered by willows and brush. She said she lost directional control during the takeoff roll, and the left wing struck willows alongside the airstrip. The airplane subsequently went into the willows and brush, and received substantial damage. The pilot told an NTSB investigator the cause of the accident was '...pilot error; I didn't use enough right rudder, and the torque got me.'
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: 300 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 265 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,521 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 1998; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: TKA Talkeetna AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 1,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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 N3684Z 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.