- Date
- August 23, 1992, 17:05 local (Aug 24, 1992, 01:05 UTC)
- Place
- Harding Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7887HPiper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920823035719A
- Case key
- 5789
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 partial loss of engine power for undetermined causes, and the unsuitable terrain.
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 pilot reported that just after taking off he experienced a partial loss of engine power. The subsequent off airport forced landing resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. After the accident the engine operated normally with no problems noted that were considered causal to the power loss. Post accident analysis of the fuel drained from the airplane indicated that it was blended with automotive fuel. The engine was not approved for the use of automotive fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7887H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-791
- Airframe hours
- 2,649
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stepovich, Christopher A.
- Registered owner
- Stepovich, Christopher A.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1992 · 20 hours before
- Destination
- Fairbanks, 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
- 40
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 8,350 total · 1,005 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °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 N7887H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.