Beech A36 accident near New Stuyahok, Alaska, September 26, 1998
On September 26, 1998 at about 1:40 am local time, a Beech A36, registered N1820L, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Stuyahok, Alaska (New Stuyahok airport). 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 failure to extend the landing gear prior to landing. Factors associated with this accident were the pilot's interference with his normal habit pattern, turbulence, and the crosswind condition during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1998 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- New Stuyahok, Alaska · New Stuyahok · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N1820L · registry record · serial E-843
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was landing with a 25 knot, gusting, crosswind. He told the NTSB investigator-in-charge that due to turbulence he had slowed the airplane and extended 20 degrees of flaps while in cruise flight. His normal habit was to extend the landing gear to slow the airplane prior to flap extension. He stated that he forgot to extend the landing gear, heard the 'gear up' warning horn too late to go-around, and landed with the wheels retracted.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,600 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 150 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,139 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 11, 1998; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PALJ Port Alsworth AK at 7:45 pm
- Destination: KNW AK
- Runway 15, 1,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- 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 N1820L 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 ANC98LA159.