- Date
- September 17, 1992, 18:30 local (Sep 18, 1992, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- New Stuyahok, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N226TPiper PA-18
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920917037749A
- Case key
- 5813
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
Fuel system contamination by water and poor preflight inspection and preparation by the pilot in command. The lack of suitable terrain for an emergency float plane landing was a factor in this accident.
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
Witnesses told a state trooper that the pilot, an assistant guide, departed the lodge in a hurry after receiving a phone call from his wife. These witnesses stated that they believed the aircraft to have fuel limited to half the distance to his desired destination, near homer, AK. The national weather service (NWS) reported the weather as low ceilings and visibility. The wreckage was located by search aircraft the following morning, approximately 60 miles north of the direct track to the intended destination. The pilot told a state trooper that his 'engine quit on one tank, (and he) switched tanks but it didn't catch.' (Engine did not restart). The airplane collided with the terrain under pilot controlled flight. An FAA inspector found a mixture of fuel, water and debris in the fuel strainer and line to the carburetor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N226T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-2340
- Airframe hours
- 3,803
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- David R. Shetler
- Registered owner
- Laura F. Shetler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 28, 1992 · 325 hours before
- Departed
- Painter Creek, AK
- Destination
- ENA · Nikiski, Kenai, 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total · 950 in this make and model · 2,541 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 190° at 15 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DLG, 40 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.