- Date
- May 10, 2021, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gakona, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5489HPiper PA-18-105 Special
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration (OPS)
- Case key
- 103094
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to initiate a flight with a failed mixture control cable which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, the mixture control had been "working really hard" during the initial flight, so he landed at a remote site to investigate. Once on the ground, he found that the mixture control cable, just behind the instrument panel, had failed. He manually opened the mixture control lever and departed for his destination airport. While en route, at about 700 ft above ground level the engine lost all power. He made an emergency off-airport landing to a heavily forested area and the airplane impacted several small to medium sized spruce trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and left lift strut. The pilot stated that after the accident, he found the mixture control arm had that the mixture control arm had become detached from his previous temporary repair, and it was in the closed position. Additionally, he noted that he made a poor decision to fly the airplane with a failed mixture control cable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5489H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-105 Special
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-80
- Built
- 1950
- Airframe hours
- 10,319.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 20, 2020
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- None
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- January 23, 2021
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 20,000 in this make and model · 20,000 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.71 inHg
- Observed at
- PAGK, 9 nm away
- METAR
- PAGK 152153Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT050 BKN090 11/M02 A2971 RMK AO2 RAB25E41 SLP071 P0000 T01061022 TSNO
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 12, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 MB in all.
Other investigations on N5489H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.