Skip to content

ANC20CA080

2020-07-26 · Fairbanks, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N1277A

Make / Model
PIPER PA-18
Year of manufacture
1951 · 69 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-290 SERIES (140 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560405
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A07101

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

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.

Factual 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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Lack of action-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Wet surface-Ability to respond/compensate
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_ANC20CA080.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control). All research papers