NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC23LA049
Registry · N15XX
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-18
Year of manufacture
1951 · 72 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-290 SERIES (140 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19890927
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A0C9F9
Registrant of record
DALKS LEASING INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff site, resulting in a collision with brush-covered terrain.
Factual narrative
The pilot landed on a remote unimproved landing strip that was surrounded by overgrown vegetation. When the pilot attempted to takeoff, the left wing struck a stand of bushes, which pivoted the airplane to the left, and he was unable to maintain control of the airplane and subsequently impacted more bushes. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Effect on equipment
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_ANC23LA049.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.