Piper PA-18A 150 N424RD

Summary

On 4 September 2024 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper PA-18A 150 registered N424RD was involved in an accident near Denali, Alaska, United States. One person was 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

4 September 2024 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Denali, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Yanert strip (PVT)

Coordinates

63.6173, -147.6299

Aircraft

Piper PA-18A 150

Registration

N424RD

Category

Airplane

Year built

1956

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Denali

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC24LA090

Nobody was injured.

Failure to maintain clearance from terrain due to the airplane’s encounter with windshear during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported he was attempting to depart from a remote 600ft-long airstrip. The pilot said just after the airplane lifted off the ground, it encountered windshear and did not gain sufficient altitude to clear rising terrain at the end of the airstrip. The airplane’s tailwheel impacted terrain, and the airplane veered to the left. Subsequently, the airplane impacted terrain again and came to rest upright. The right wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.