- Date
- July 29, 1991, 15:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- Yakutat, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4913Pilatus Porter PC-6/350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910729030499A
- Case key
- 5590
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 fuel contamination and the pilot's inadequate preflight. Contributing to the accident was the soft sand bar.
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
During climbout from the airport, the engine quit and the pilot made an emergency landing on the beach. Examination of the airplane engine revealed no mechanical malfunction or failure. Examination of the fuel system revealed water in the fuel tanks.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4913
- Reported as
- Pilatus Porter PC-6/350 (PORTER PC-)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 545
- Engine
- Lycoming GSO-480-B1A6, 340 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 20, 1990
- Departed
- YAK · Yakutat, AK
- Destination
- NONE · Dry Bay, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,670 total · 320 in this make and model · 8,870 as pilot in command · 311 in the last 90 days · 66 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 41 °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.