- Date
- February 4, 1987, 21:30 local (Feb 5, 1987, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Paxson, AK
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5312BCessna 182
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19870204001729A
- Case key
- 4819
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The pvt plt took off at night and flew into instrument conditions. He had failed to unlock the direction gyro until the acft entered the clouds. The acft crashed 32 miles from the departure point due to fuel exhaustion. Automotive fuel was being used in the acft without an STC. The top spark plugs were found soot covered eventhough they had been cleaned just prior to this flt. A small amount of fuel was found in the right wing fuel tank.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5312B
- Reported as
- Cessna 182
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3312
- Airframe hours
- 3,434
- Engine
- Continental O-470-L, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jerry S. Low
- Registered owner
- Patsy A. Low
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 26, 1986 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- 1AK4 · Valdez Creek, AK
- Destination
- PAQ · Palmer, AK
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 609 total · 120 in this make and model · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.