Piper PA-18-150 N4387Z

Summary

On 18 August 2025 at about 00:58 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N4387Z, operated by State of Alaska, was involved in an accident near Willow, 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

18 August 2025 at 00:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Willow, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.7546, -150.0514

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N4387Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

State of Alaska

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC25LA090

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s loss of control after a rejected takeoff, which resulted in a noseover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was attempting to depart from an off-airport remote airstrip in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered an area of rough and uneven terrain as the tail lifted off the ground, and as the airplane became airborne, he applied flaps and felt the airplane slow. The airplane descended and bounced on the airstrip. He felt he did not have sufficient airspeed for takeoff and aborted the takeoff. He reduced power and applied heavy braking, and the airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer. 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.