- Date
- June 18, 1993, 17:30 local (Jun 19, 1993, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Merrill Pass, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7627ACessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19930618052159A
- Case key
- 2367
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-in-command's inadequate fuel calculations.
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-in-command stated he felt the airplane ran out of fuel. Examination of the airplane wreckage showed no fuel in the tanks and no fuel odor present.
Factual narrative
On June 18, 1993 at 1730 Alaska daylight time a float equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N7627A, registered to and operated by the Pilot-in-Command, experienced a loss of power and was forced to land in the brush approximately 70 miles West of Anchorage, Alaska. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Telequana Lake and the destination was Lake Hood in Anchorage. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The Pilot-in-Command and his one passenger were not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged.
According to the Pilot-in-Command, he refueled the airplane at Alegnigig and flew to Bethel and then to Telequana Lake. While enroute through Merrill Pass the engine stopped producing power. The Pilot stated it was similar to fuel starvation. He stated he felt the airplane ran out of gas. Examination of the airplane by a mechanic showed no noticeable fuel level in the tanks and no fuel odor on the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7627A
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32524
- Airframe hours
- 5,474
- Engine
- Continental O-470, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frazier, David
- Registered owner
- Frazier, David J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 7, 1993 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- Telequana Lake, AK
- Destination
- LHD · Anchorage, 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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 758 total · 363 in this make and model · 672 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.