Maule ML-7 accident near Wasilla, Alaska, September 30, 1998
On September 30, 1998 at about 2:14 am local time, a Maule ML-7, registered N6110C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, resulting in an inadvertent stall. Contributing factors were the gusty and turbulent weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1998 · about 2:14 am local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule ML-7
- Registration
- N6110C · registry record · serial 4049C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge that he was returning from a hunting lodge with a load of moose meat. He indicated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane, and the winds at cruise were 45 miles per hour. He described being on final approach to land, at 500 feet above the ground, and encountering a 'hellacious wind which tossed the airplane around like a leaf.' Witnesses on the ground described 'very windy conditions,' and 'the plane spinning into the water.' Weather observations from a station located five miles southwest of the accident site recorded surface winds gusting to 25 knots at the time of the accident. The weather forecast was for moderate to severe turbulence within 2,000 feet of the surface, and winds from the north gusting to 25 knots.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,177 hours in all; 319 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 4,177 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 560 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1998; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Mystic Lk Lodge AK at 7:45 pm
- Destination: Island Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from IYS, 5 miles away
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.
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.