- Date
- November 11, 1998, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Kenai, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3391ZPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19981111031689A
- Case key
- 45336
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's failure to use carburetor heat. A factor associated with the accident was weather conducive to carburetor icing.
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 private pilot was attempting to land on a remote sand bar. He reported that as the airplane touched down, he determined that the landing area was too short to complete a safe landing, and he attempted to abort the landing. As the throttle was advanced, the engine quit, and that he was unable to stop the airplane before reaching the end of the sand bar. The airplane went down an embankment, entered a river, and nosed over. The pilot related that he did not use carburetor heat during the aborted landing, and that carburetor ice was the reason for the loss in power. He added that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and the right wing lift strut.
Factual narrative
On November 11, 1998, about 1400 Alaska standard time, a tundra tire equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N3391Z, sustained substantial damage while landing at an off airport site located about 29 miles northwest of Kenai, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with a National Transportation Safety Board investigator on November 19, 1998, the pilot reported that he was attempting to land on a remote sand bar. He reported that as the airplane touched down, he determined that the landing area was too short to complete a safe landing, and he attempted to abort the landing. He reported that as the throttle was advanced, the engine quit, and that he was unable to stop the airplane before reaching the end of the sand bar. The airplane went down an embankment, entered a river, and nosed over. The pilot related that he did not use carburetor heat during the aborted landing, and that carburetor ice was the reason for the loss in power. He added that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airplane.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and the right wing lift strut.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3391Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7276
- Airframe hours
- 4,939
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael M. Thompson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 9, 1998 · 69 hours before
- Departed
- ENA · 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
- 26
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 587 total · 507 in this make and model · 527 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- 36 °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 N3391Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.