Piper PA-18-150 N4024Z accident near Glacier View, Alaska

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the landing approach, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low to recover.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, while turning the airplane from a downwind to base leg to an off-airport landing site, the airplane’s left wing stalled, and the airplane began to spin. The pilot did not have sufficient altitude to recover, and the airplane descended into a river short of the intended landing area. The airplane was destroyed and was unrecoverable. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC22LA038 for the full record.