Probable cause
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff area. A Factor contributing to the accident was a short, rough and uneven takeoff site.
NTSB analysis
The private pilot was departing from a 500 foot-long, rough and uneven off-airport site. In the pilot's written statement to the NTSB he stated, in part: "During takeoff from the remote airstrip, [the] aircraft failed to reach flying speed." The pilot indicated that the airplane initially lifted off at the end of the strip, then it mushed into an area of brush-covered terrain at the end of the airstrip. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC08CA128 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Sep 18, 2008
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Piper PA-18
- N-number
- N2265A
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.