On September 12, 2023, about 2047 Alaska daylight time (AKDT), a Piper PA-18-150, N109T, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near St. Mary’s, Alaska. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 on-demand flight.
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We determined the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: the pilot’s decision to operate the airplane above its maximum certificated gross weight, and his installation of an unapproved external load that degraded takeoff performance and flight characteristics resulting in a loss of airplane control during takeoff into an area of mechanical turbulence and downdrafts.
