- Date
- November 24, 2025, 14:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wasilla, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N794AKDanchini Aero Danchini Cub
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20251124016369A
- Case key
- 202049
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 inadequate preflight inspection, and inadequate inflight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and subsequent forced landing.
Findings · 3
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 stated that prior to takeoff he moved the fuel selector valve from left fuel tank to the both position. Shortly after takeoff the engine lost all power, unable to return to the runway the pilot performed a forced landing onto a road. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. After the accident, the pilot realized he mistook the fuel selector handle for the indicator and misinterpreted the position the fuel selector was in. He had actually turned the fuel to the off position prior to takeoff, not the both position as he believed he had. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N794AK
- Reported as
- Danchini Aero Danchini Cub
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Built
- 2021
- Engine
- Aero Recip O-340, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Flying Dutchman LLC
- Registered owner
- Flying Dutchman LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- 4AK6 · Wolf Lake, runway 08/26, 3,800 × 40 ft, asphalt
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 12, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 5,565 total · 68 in this make and model · 5,420 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 16 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- AWS, 9 nm away
- METAR
- METAR PAWS 242256Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR M09/M11 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP161 T10941111 FZRANO
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 25, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 14.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.