# Incident 20180718011629I: Lewis Eric ASCENDER, Yakutat, AK, July 18, 2018

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 18, 2018, 19:28 local time
- Place: Yakutat, AK
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 59.5469° N, 139.7272° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Yakutat, AK, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=59.5469&lon=-139.7272&mi=10
- Aircraft: N749AW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N749AW-2025-06-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Lewis Eric ASCENDER (registry code 05637JC, https://openairdocs.org/model/lewis-eric-ascender) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Superior XP-400 (registry code 59200, https://openairdocs.org/engine/superior-xp-400) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: LEWIS ERIC ASCENDER
- Reported engine: SUPERIOR XP-400
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180718011629I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.