- Date
- April 4, 1989, 11:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Chugiak, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8677CPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890404005779A
- Case key
- 5104
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
Carburetor ice due to the pilot's improper use of powerplant controls; and failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering (turning left), which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Factors related to the accident were: failure of the pilot to use all available runway, and carburetor icing conditions.
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.
Analysis
The plt rprtd that when the acft was climbing at about 20 to 30 ft AGL, he made a power reduction, then the eng lost power without warning. He was not sure he could clear a fence that was ahead & turned left about 110 deg. Subsequently, the acft impacted on relatively flat, frozen terrain. It slid 96 ft & came to rest about 175 ft east of the rwy. The broken carburetor was removed & disassembled. No preimpact part failure or noticeable contamination was found. The eng was operationally checked; it started & operated with no problems that would have caused the acdnt. The temp & dew point were 36 & 27 deg, respectively. According to carb ice charts, conditions were conducive to carburetor ice. The acdnt occurred after the plt had initiated an intersection takeoff with about 1960 ft of rwy remaining.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8677C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-2822
- Airframe hours
- 2,977
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles H. Dowrick
- Registered owner
- Kelly L. Vrem
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1988 · 65 hours before
- Departed
- Z15 · Chugiak, AK
- Airport
- Z15 · Birchwood, runway 19, 4,010 × 100 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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 30 in this make and model · 650 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FRN, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8677C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.