No fatalities

PIPER PA-18-150 accident at Bethel, AK, 9 Apr 2025

Bethel, AK, United States

On April 9, 2025, a PIPER PA-18-150 operated by ELIJAH AIR LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Bethel, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff when the airplane was not attaining sufficient airspeed for takeoff and subsequently departed the end of the lake and collided with terrain. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff when the airplane was not attaining sufficient airspeed for takeoff and subsequently departed the end of the lake and collided with terrain.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

Capability exceededPilotEffect on operation