2018 Piper PA-12 Crash in Alaska (N7511H)

Accident Overview and Discovery On September 22, 2018, the wreckage of a tailwheel-equipped Piper PA-12 airplane, registration N7511H, was discovered in remote, snow-covered mountainous terrain approximately 35 miles east of Healy, Alaska. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage from impact forces and a postcrash fire. The airplane was registered to the pilot and was being operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight had departed from Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) on September 15, 2018, without a filed flight plan. The intended destination was the Alaska Range, about 50 miles south of Fairbanks, for a sheep hunting trip. No communications were received from the pilot after departure. When the pilot failed to report to work on September 19, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert notice (ALNOT) at 1620 Alaska daylight time. A search and rescue (SAR) operation began the following day, involving aerial assets from the Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska Army National Guard, Civil Air Patrol, Alaska State Troopers, and individual volunteers. A volunteer located the aircraft, and an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew confirmed both occupants were deceased inside the wreckage.