Piper PA 18-150 accident near Goose Bay, Alaska, May 7, 2018
On May 7, 2018 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1979 Piper PA 18-150, registered N2432H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Goose Bay, Alaska (Goose Bay 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing with a gusting tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2018 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Goose Bay, Alaska · Goose Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 18-150 150, built 1979 · all PA 18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N2432H · registry record · serial 18-7909184
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, during his initial solo flight in the airport traffic pattern, he performed a go-around because "I did not like my approach." Following the next approach, he recalled that the airplane encountered a left crosswind gust when the airplane touched down on the gravel runway. He believed that the wind had shifted, and the airplane's tail was "blown" to the right, and its nose turned to the left. The airplane moved from the crown of the runway onto the down-sloping runway edge, and the tailwheel entered the soft gravel. The right wing tip then struck the ground, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway before it came to rest. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The nearest METAR, located 9 miles south of the accident site, reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 280° at 7 knots. The airplane landed on runway 8. The pilot reported that the wind at the time of the accident was variable at 6 knots, gusting to 10 knots. The student reported that, "I should have caught that there had been a wind shift between my touch and go and when I ground looped my aircraft. In preparation for landing a final check of the windsock needs to be done, every time. If there is a crosswind, a wing low approach would have helped avoid losing control of the aircraft when I touched down." The student reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site 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 GAA18CA269.