Piper PA-18 accident near Excursion Inlet, Alaska, April 4, 1985
On April 4, 1985, a Piper PA-18, registered N27036, was substantially damaged in an accident near Excursion Inlet, Alaska (Homeshore Logging Camp 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 1985
- Place
- Excursion Inlet, Alaska · Homeshore Logging Camp
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N27036 · registry record · serial 54-2316
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ELECTED TO LAND ON AN AIRSTRIP IN A NARROW VALLEY WITH MOUNTAINS ON EITHER SIDE. WHILE LANDING IN VARIABLE & GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS, HE LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE ACFT. THE ACFT THEN VEERED OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY ONTO ROUGH TERRAIN WHERE THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED & THE LEFT WING WAS DAMAGED. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE WIND WAS PRIMARILY FROM THE WEST AT 10 GUSTING 15 KTS, BUT AT TIMES, IT SHIFTED TO A HEADWIND OR TAILWIND.
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: 105 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 75 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 5, 1985; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNU Juneau AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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 N27036 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 SEA85LA106.