20180718011629I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Lewis Eric ASCENDER · Yakutat, AK · July 18, 2018

Date
July 18, 2018 · 19:28 local
Place
Yakutat, AK
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N749AW
Reported as
Lewis Eric Ascender
Reported engine
Superior XP-400
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On July 18, 2018 airman privacy data omitted departed Yakutat Alaska with a destination of ketchikan, Alaska. privacy data omitted Was piloting an experimental homebuilt Ascender registered as N769AW. No flight plan filed. Adw was part of a flight of two, accompanied by airman ap, piloting an experimental top cub registered as N447TC.

Airman privacy data omitted fueled aircraft in Yakutat with ninety gallons of fuel. privacy data omitted Referenced FAA web cams and flight tracker for weather information prior to departure.

While airman privacy data omitted was flying at 500 feet AGL the engine seized abruptly. Multiple attempts of a restart failed. The started motor would not turn the prop over.

privacy data omitted Elected to land in crillon lake, glacier bay national park due to limited safe options. The aircraft impacted the water and flipped over. Adw was able to egress the aircraft with a survival bag and swim to shore safely, with a minor cut on his leg.

Accompanying airman ap piloting N447TC witnessed the incident and orbited the scene until he saw airman privacy data omitted on shore giving him a thumbs up ?ok? Signal. Airman ap marked the GPS coordinates and flew back to Yakutat and alerted authorities.

Coast guard privacy data omittedresponded to the scene and extracted airman privacy data omitted.

Fuel provider in Yakutat, Yakutat aviation services provided fuel invoices and results of fuel tests after the incident. No water in sumped filters.

Glacier bay national park, law enforcement specialist provided photographs and on scene observations.

As the FAA filed it

ON JULY 18, 2018 AIRMAN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED YAKUTAT ALASKA WITH A DESTINATION OF KETCHIKAN, ALASKA. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS PILOTING AN EXPERIMENTAL HOMEBUILT ASCENDER REGISTERED AS N769AW. NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. ADW WAS PART OF A FLIGHT OF TWO, ACCOMPANIED BY AIRMAN AP, PILOTING AN EXPERIMENTAL TOP CUB REGISTERED AS N447TC.

AIRMAN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FUELED AIRCRAFT IN YAKUTAT WITH NINETY GALLONS OF FUEL. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REFERENCED FAA WEB CAMS AND FLIGHT TRACKER FOR WEATHER INFORMATION PRIOR TO DEPARTURE.

WHILE AIRMAN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS FLYING AT 500 FEET AGL THE ENGINE SEIZED ABRUPTLY. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS OF A RESTART FAILED. THE STARTED MOTOR WOULD NOT TURN THE PROP OVER.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ELECTED TO LAND IN CRILLON LAKE, GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK DUE TO LIMITED SAFE OPTIONS. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE WATER AND FLIPPED OVER. ADW WAS ABLE TO EGRESS THE AIRCRAFT WITH A SURVIVAL BAG AND SWIM TO SHORE SAFELY, WITH A MINOR CUT ON HIS LEG.

ACCOMPANYING AIRMAN AP PILOTING N447TC WITNESSED THE INCIDENT AND ORBITED THE SCENE UNTIL HE SAW AIRMAN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ON SHORE GIVING HIM A THUMBS UP ?OK? SIGNAL. AIRMAN AP MARKED THE GPS COORDINATES AND FLEW BACK TO YAKUTAT AND ALERTED AUTHORITIES.

COAST GUARD ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^RESPONDED TO THE SCENE AND EXTRACTED AIRMAN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

FUEL PROVIDER IN YAKUTAT, YAKUTAT AVIATION SERVICES PROVIDED FUEL INVOICES AND RESULTS OF FUEL TESTS AFTER THE INCIDENT. NO WATER IN SUMPED FILTERS.

GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK, LAW ENFORCEMENT SPECIALIST PROVIDED PHOTOGRAPHS AND ON SCENE OBSERVATIONS.