- Date
- February 4, 1991, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6152WPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910204002429A
- Case key
- 5516
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Was the pilot-in-command's improper in-flight planning and decision. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to refuel the airplane prior to the cross-country flight.
Analysis
The pilot stated, while enroute back to his home airport, he could not recognize the local landmarks. After being assisted by FAA ATC, the pilot stated that the airplane ran out of fuel. The airplane crashed into a wooded area 600 feet short of the runway.
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
- N6152W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2820171
- Airframe hours
- 4,319
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jay Walker
- Registered owner
- April A. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- CDV · Cordova, AK
- Destination
- ANC · Anchorage, AK
- Airport
- TKA · Talkeetna, runway 18, 3,500 × 75 ft, gravel
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 161 total · 40 in this make and model · 99 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 10 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N6152W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.