Piper PA 18 N1277A

Summary

On 27 July 2020 at about 03:00 local time, a Piper PA 18 registered N1277A was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 July 2020 at 03:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

64.8378, -147.7164

Aircraft

Piper PA 18

Registration

N1277A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1951

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fairbanks → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC20CA080

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper decision to depart from an off-airport surface that had standing water, which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll on an off-airport grass strip, as the airplane reached flying speed, it encountered a puddle of water which was hidden in grass and the pilot lost control of the airplane, which resulted in an impact with tundra tussocks and a main landing gear collapse. The fuselage and left lift strut sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He also reported that the accident could have been prevented had he performed a better walk down of the grass strip.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.