Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Chickaloon, AK
During a student training flight, the instructor and student overflew the accident airport, looking for a suitable landing area. The runway was snow-covered in some areas, and plowed in others. Snow berms of varying heights were present adjacent to the runway, and there were patches of ice on the runway. After a smooth landing the student lost directional control on an icy portion of the runway. The instructor took control but was unable to arrest the skid and the airplane's left wing struck the windsock pole. After the impact with the pole, the airplane spun to the left, and the right elevator struck a snow berm.
The inadequate supervision of the student pilot by the instructor. Factors associated with the accident are the snow-covered runway and the loss of directional control by the student pilot.
On March 28, 2002, about 1500 Alaska standard time, a wheel-equipped Piper PA-18 airplane, N5408Y, sustained substantial damage during the landing roll at the Skelton Airstrip, about 35 miles northeast of Chickaloon, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the student pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) instructional flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The student pilot and the certificated flight instructor were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Palmer Municipal Airport, Palmer, Alaska, about 1100. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on April 1, the flight instructor said when she and the student flew over the Skelton airstrip, they discussed suitable landing sites. The runway had varying degrees of snow coverage, some areas appeared to have been plowed, and other areas had high snow berms. After discussing what they thought would be a suitable landing site, the student started the approach, landing to the west. The student landed the airplane on a section of the runway different from the section the instructor had expected, and the airplane skidded on the ice. The flight instructor took control of the airplane, but she was not able to control the skid. The left wing of the airplane struck the windsock pole. She said the student told her where he landed was where he thought they had agreed upon. During a telephone conversation with the IIC on April 1, the student pilot's mechanic said both wing spars, and the tail of the airplane were damaged in the accident.