Piper PA-18-150 accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, August 7, 1999
On August 7, 1999 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4996V, was destroyed in an accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent stall/spin by the pilot. A factor was the box canyon into which he had flown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1999 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4996V · no longer on the register · serial 18-5259
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight had departed a remote hunting camp, about 25 miles north of the accident site, to locate sheep prior to dropping off the passenger. The flight was reported overdue to the Alaska State Troopers, and an aerial search located the wreckage the following day. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the nearest reporting station, 60 miles south of the accident site, at the time of the accident. One of the pilot's employees told the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) the winds at camp were calm, there were some clouds visible to the south, and the tops of the mountains were visible toward the accident site. The airplane struck terrain in a near vertical attitude, and came to rest inverted in the bottom of a box canyon. The empennage was rotated and twisted to the right. A postcrash fire consumed both fuel tanks, and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no preaccident anomalies.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,850 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,249 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 8, 1999; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Happy Valley AK at 8:20 am
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Observation at 9:50 am from PAL, 60 miles away
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.
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.