NTSB Cites Weather, Terrain as Possible Factors in Denali Accident

Unable to reach the crash site, investigators documented the wreckage with a drone and aerial photography for the preliminary report.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, August 31, 2023 at 02:43 PM ET

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Accident site location. [Credit: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB released a preliminary report on a fatal Piper PA-18-150 accident in remote Alaska, killing both the pilot and passenger while ferrying sheep hunters.
The incident occurred during the second leg of a transport mission, with the plane reported overdue by a stranded hunter, and wreckage located four days later in a narrow ravine.
Investigation and recovery efforts were severely hampered by the steep, unstable terrain in Denali National Park, leading to the suspension of occupant recovery.
Limited weather reporting facilities, an AIRMET for mountain obscuration, and a lack of pilot reports in the remote area presented significant challenges at the time of the accident.

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the preliminary report into a fatal accident earlier this month involving a Piper PA-18-150 (Super Cub) in steep terrain 60 miles northwest of Skwentna, Alaska. Both the pilot and passenger were killed.

On August 6, the pilot and two sheep hunters departed from the Big Lake Airport (PAGQ), Big Lake, Alaska, in a Cessna 206 to scout the Dillinger River area for a possible hunting location and a suitable landing area for the pilot’s PA-18.