# NTSB ANC01LA141: Jacobs KE-1-A, N24KJ, Willow, AK, September 1, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 1, 2001, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: Willow, AK - Coordinates: 61.808334, -149.966659 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.8083&lon=-149.9667&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 3, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA-AL-ANC FSDO 03 - NTSB case key (mKey): 53449 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC01LA141 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53449/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC01LA141 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power during cruise flight for an undertermined reason. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The private certificated pilot departed on a personal cross-country flight in a float-equipped experimental/homebuilt airplane. The airplane was one of two airplanes headed for a remote lake. The pilot said that during cruise flight about 2,300 feet msl, the engine lost power, decreasing from 2,350 to about 1,500 RPM. She activated the engine boost pump, and the engine RPM increased, but then decreased again. The pilot said she made several attempts to regain engine RPM by the use of the boost pump and engine throttle, but the engine quit. The pilot selected a small lake for an emergency landing, but the airplane touched down in an area of soft, swampy terrain, about 50 yards short of the lake. During the landing roll, the left wing collided with a tree, sustaining damage to the wing spar. During repairs of the airplane, the operator reported that no mechanical malfunction was found. ## Factual narrative On September 1, 2001, about 1530 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped experimental/homebuilt Jacobs KE-1-A airplane, N24KJ, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing, about 4.4 miles north of Willow, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The private certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Lake Hood Seaplane Base, Anchorage, Alaska, at 1500. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on September 6, 2001, the pilot reported that the accident airplane was one of two airplanes flying from Lake Hood to Stephan Lake, located about 30 miles northeast of Talkeetna, Alaska. The pilot said that during cruise flight about 2,300 feet msl, the engine lost power, decreasing from 2,350 to about 1,500 RPM. She activated the engine boost pump, and the engine RPM increased, but then decreased again. The pilot said she made several attempts to regain engine RPM by the use of the boost pump and engine throttle, but the engine quit. The pilot selected a small lake for an emergency landing, but the airplane touched down in an area of soft, swampy terrain, about 50 yards short of the lake. During the landing roll, the left wing collided with a tree, sustaining damage to the wing spar. On March 7, 2002, in a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC, the owner/operator of the airplane reported that following recovery of the airplane, it underwent repairs. During the repair, the operator said that no mechanical malfunction was found. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N24KJ](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N24KJ-2019-01-11), registration cancelled 2019-01-11, S/N KE1A1, built 1977 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: JACOBS KE-1-A - Registry model: [Jacobs AEROLOCK KE-1-A](https://openairdocs.org/model/jacobs-aerolock-ke-1-a) (registry code 0562625) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-346 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-346-series) (registry code 17033, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: KE1A1 - Airframe hours: 2903 - Engines: Continental IO-346 165 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Valerie A. Van Brocklin - Registered owner: Karl S. Johnstone - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, May 16, 2001, 20 hours before - Departed: PALH, ANCHORAGE, AK - Destination: STEPHAN LAKE, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 47; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review May 22, 2001; seat: front; flight hours: 495 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 30 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 6,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 61 °F - Altimeter: 29.25 inHg 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.