# NTSB ANC00LA064: Piper PA-22, N1724P, Gakona, AK, June 5, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 5, 2000, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC) - Place: Gakona, AK - Coordinates: 62.829269, -143.430847 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=62.8293&lon=-143.4308&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report May 30, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 50962 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC00LA064 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/50962/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC00LA064 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, takeoff - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency landing after takeoff - object - vehicle - terrain condition - ditch ## Analysis The pilot said that immediately after takeoff, about 200 feet above the ground, the engine lost total power. He said he prepared to land on the highway, but the presence of an automobile made him land off the side of the road. The airplane went into a ditch, the right landing gear separated from the airplane, and the empennage and left horizontal stabilizer were damaged. Postaccident inspection by an Alaska State Trooper revealed fuel in both wing tanks. No anomalies were noted with the engine during a subsequent inspection by an FAA airworthiness inspector, and an independent mechanic. According to the FAA inspector, the pilot did not remember which fuel tank was selected during takeoff, but believed it was the right tank. There is a placard in the airplane which states 'Right tank only in level flight when less than 1/3 full.' During a telephone interview with the NTSB IIC, and in his NTSB Pilot/Operator report, the pilot stated he was positive that he took off with the fuel selector valve in the left tank position. ## Factual narrative On June 5, 2000, about 1200 Alaska daylight time, N1724P, a Piper PA-22 airplane which had been converted to a tailwheel configuration, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing at mile 119 of the Richardson Highway near Gulkana, Alaska, at 62 degrees, 19 minutes north latitude, 145 degrees, 21 minutes west longtitude. The solo private pilot received minor injuries. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), during a telephone interview on June 5, that he took off from a landing strip in Gakona to return to his home about 45 miles north. He stated that immediately after takeoff, about 200 feet above the ground, the engine lost total power. He said he prepared to land on the highway, but the presence of an automobile made him land off the side of the road. The airplane went into a ditch, the right landing gear separated from the airplane, and the empennage and left horizontal stabilizer were damaged. The pilot told the NTSB IIC that he had flown from his home, to the Wrangell Mountains, to Gulkana. He stated he had not refueled the airplane since his original departure from his home the day prior to the accident. Postaccident inspection by an Alaska State Trooper about three hours after the accident revealed the fuel selector valve was on, the left side fuel tank was about 3/4 full, the right side fuel tank was nearly empty, and the throttle control cable was connected. After the airplane was placed in a level attitude, fuel was drained from both wing tank sump drains. No anomalies were noted with the engine during a subsequent inspection by an FAA airworthiness inspector, and an independent mechanic. The pilot was interviewed by an FAA airworthiness inspector on June 9. According to the FAA inspector, the pilot did not remember which fuel tank was selected during takeoff, but believed it was the right tank. There is a placard in the airplane which states "Right tank only in level flight when less than 1/3 full." This placard is required in the Type Certificate Data Sheet. During a telephone interview with the NTSB IIC on June 13, and in his NTSB Pilot/Operator report, the pilot stated he was positive that he took off with the fuel selector valve in the left tank position. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1724P](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1724P-2017-04-04), registration cancelled 2017-04-04, S/N 22-2514, built 1954 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-22 - Registry model: [Piper PA-22-150](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-22-150) (registry code 7102210) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 22-2514 - Airframe hours: 3184 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Richard Lach - Registered owner: Holly Clark - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 2, 2000, 14 hours before - Departed: GKN, GAKONA, AK - Destination: CZ0, CHISTOCHINA, AK - Airport: GKN, Gulkana, runway 14, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 54; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 130 total, 57 in this make and model, 71 as pilot in command, 18 in the last 90 days, 10 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 36 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: GKN, 2 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000605042149A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000605042149A), Jun 5, 2000: Piper PA22150, Gulkana, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) On departure from Gulkana runway 32, at an altitude of approximately 200 feet AGL, the engine quit. The pilot initiated emergency procedures and… ## Other investigations on N1724P (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ANC98LA095](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC98LA095), Jul 14, 1998: Piper PA-22 (N1724P), North Pole, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of unsuitable runway terrain for takeoff, and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane. Factors in the accident were uneven/rutted terrain, and high… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.