- Date
- August 3, 1989, 20:00 local (Aug 4, 1989, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- Canyon Creek, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N679RKPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890803027439A
- Case key
- 5233
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 improper planning/decision concerning fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation. Contributing factors were: probable water in the fuel, inadequate altitude for an engine restart, and the terrain 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 stated that about 15 min after takeoff, the eng lost power. Rprtdly, it lost power after the left tank emptied. He switched to the right tank, but rprtdly there was insufficient alt to obtain a restart before he was forced to land on rough terrain. The plt rprtd he normally operated the acft by using fuel from the left tank & had not used fuel from the right tank in several months. He believed a small amount of water may have come from the right tank & prevented an immediate restart of the eng. The acdnt occurred in a remote area & the occupants of the acft were not recovered for six days. The acft was not retrieved (as of the date of the plt's acdnt rprt).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N679RK
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-5024
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Canyon Creek, AK
- Destination
- DLG · Dillingham, 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 15 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N679RK · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.