Event ANC96LA125

Factual narrative

On August 15, 1996, about 1930 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Piper PA-18, N9272D, crashed during landing at Lake Hood Strip, Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Northway airport, Northway, Alaska, at 1530, as a continuation of a flight from Teslin, Yukon Territories, Canada. On August 16, 1996, at 1510, the pilot reported in a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) that he was on a landing approach to runway 31. The pilot indicated that his descent rate was excessive and he added power to begin a go-around. The airplane landed about 180 feet short of the runway threshold in a rutted area and collided with a ditch in tall grass. The airplane then nosed over. The certificated private pilot was landing a tundra tire, tailwheel-equipped airplane on a gravel airstrip. The airplane developed a high rate of descent. The pilot added power to begin a go-around but the airplane touched down about 180 feet short of the runway threshold in a rutted area. The airplane then collided with a ditch in tall grass and nosed over. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12