# NTSB ANC03LA119: Maule M-7-235, N5657A, McGrath, AK, September 19, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 18, 2003, 19:40 local (Sep 19, 2003, 03:40 UTC) - Place: McGrath, AK - Coordinates: 62.719165, -153.632781 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=62.7192&lon=-153.6328&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report March 30, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA, Anchorage Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 57974 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC03LA119 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57974/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC03LA119 ## Probable cause Fuel starvation due to the pilot's improper placement of the fuel selector to a nearly empty fuel tank prior to takeoff, resulting in a loss of engine power, and an in-flight collision with trees. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, takeoff - initial climb - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - fuel tank selector position - improper, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, emergency landing after takeoff - In flight collision with object, emergency landing after takeoff - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The commercial certificated pilot reported he was attempting to takeoff from an off-airport site in his tailwheel airplane. He indicated he inadvertently left the fuel selector on a nearly empty fuel tank. Shortly after liftoff, the engine sputtered, and lost all power. The airplane subsequently descended into trees and received structural damage to the wings and lift struts. In his NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report, in the section: Recommendation (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented?), the pilot wrote, "Land and takeoff with fuel selector set on BOTH tanks." ## Factual narrative On September 18, 2003, about 1940 Alaska daylight time, a tailwheel-equipped Maule M-7-235 airplane, N5657A, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees during an emergency landing following a loss of engine power during takeoff. The off-airport accident site was approximately 6 miles southeast of McGrath, Alaska. The commercial pilot and sole passenger were not injured. The Title 14, CFR Part 91 business flight was operated by the pilot in support of his hunt guide business. The flight operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight departed the pilot's main hunting base camp, about 30 miles east of Farewell, Alaska, about 1820, and was returning to that camp when the accident occurred. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on September 19, the pilot's son, an aviation mechanic, related that he had been to the accident site to assist in the recovery of the airplane. He said that his father had related to him that he was attempting to takeoff to the west, and was in the initial climb, when the engine lost all power. The airplane subsequently descended and collided with trees at the end of the takeoff site, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and lift struts. The pilot's son said that there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the airplane, and that his father had told him that he had inadvertently selected a nearly empty fuel tank prior to the takeoff attempt, and the engine "quit" because of fuel starvation. In the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report submitted by the pilot and dated September 30, 2003, in the section: Recommendation (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented?), the pilot wrote, "Land and takeoff with the fuel selector set on BOTH tanks." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5657A](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5657A), registered now, S/N 4013C, built 1984 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Maule M-7-235 - Registry model: [Maule M-7-235](https://openairdocs.org/model/maule-m-7-235) (registry code 5470208) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (registry code 41530, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 4013C - Airframe hours: 3570 - Engines: Lycoming IO-540-W1A5D 235 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Business, Part 91 - Registered owner: George E. Palmer - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, December 5, 2002, 81 hours before - Departed: MCG, McGrath, AK - Flight plan: Company VFR ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 9 knots - Visibility: 80 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 30 °F ## 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 20030918027689A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030918027689A), Sep 18, 2003: Maule M7235, Mcgrath, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) During departure from a remote airstrip, the aircraft engine lost power. The pilot stated that the loss of power was due to fuel starvation. While… ## Other investigations on N5657A (2) 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 ANC00LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC00LA013), Nov 15, 1999: Maule M7-235C (N5657A), Palmer, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's intentional takeoff into known adverse weather. Factors associated with this accident are crosswinds, gusts, and downdrafts. - [NTSB ANC91LA135](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC91LA135), Aug 25, 1991: Maule M-7-235 (N5657A), Mystic Pass, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS UNFAVORABLE WIND AND TURBULENCE. 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.