- Date
- August 23, 1987, 17:05 local (Aug 24, 1987, 01:05 UTC)
- Place
- Merrill Pass, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8288ZPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 6, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Case key
- 4894
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical
Fluid,fuel - exhaustionCause
In-flight planning/decision - improperCause
Preflight planning/preparation - not performedCause
Overconfidence in personal abilityFactor
Refueling - not performedCause
Nose over
Terrain condition - ditchFactor
Analysis
The aircraft engine failed in cruise flight. During the landing roll the airplane struck a ditch and nosed over. Examination of the aircraft and the statements from the pilot, revealed the aircraft ran out of fuel during the return trip to the airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8288Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 187218
- Airframe hours
- 1,774
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul Palinski, doing business as Aviation Technical Services
- Registered owner
- Tony Oney
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 23, 1987 · 1 hours before
N8288ZRegistered now · Piper PA-28-161Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161Engine modelLycoming 0-320 series
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 50 in this make and model · 4,700 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg