- Date
- August 18, 1989, 19:13 local (Aug 19, 1989, 03:13 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5417HPiper PA-19
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890818030499A
- Case key
- 5120
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
Operation with a known deficiency in the aircraft and water contamination of the fuel due to inadequate preflight preparation by the pilot. Factors related to the accident were: lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing and tree(s).
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 shortly after takeoff, the eng bgn to lose pwr. He was unable to return to the seaplane base or findanother suitable lndg site. When he atmtd to lnd on a residential street, the acft hit a tree, then crashed, hitting apostbox & fence. An exam of the acft revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded nml flt. The carburetorwas disassembled & was found to contain more than 1/4 inch of water. The plt stated that he had experienced a total lossof power aprx 2 weeks earlier, but made a successful forced landing. He drained a large quantity of water from the rightfuel tank (as best he could), but decided to operate the acft by just using the left fuel tank. He said that he used theleft tank for takeoff on the acdnt flt, but after the occurrence, he was concerned that water from the right tank mayhave contaminated the rest of the fuel system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5417H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19-3
- Airframe hours
- 3,314
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Donlan, Jeffrey M.
- Registered owner
- Carey, Ray G
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 10, 1989 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- LHD · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- SXQ · Soldotna, AK
- Airport
- LHD · Lake Hood, runway 14, 1,900 × 150 ft, water
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
- 22
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 230 total · 160 in this make and model · 210 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ANC, 1 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 N5417H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.