Meeuwsen WAGABOND N36GM

Summary

On 11 July 1998 at about 21:00 local time, a Meeuwsen WAGABOND registered N36GM was involved in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 July 1998 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.5196, -149.5700

Aircraft

Meeuwsen WAGABOND

Registration

N36GM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC98LA094

1 person had minor injuries.

Loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane climbed to about 50 feet, the engine suddenly began to run rough, and lost rpm. The pilot applied carburetor heat, and leaned the fuel mixture. The engine speed improved slightly, but continued to run rough. The pilot attempted several carburetor heat and mixture combinations, but the airplane did not gain any altitude. After traveling about 1 mile, the airplane was approaching an area of trees and a roadway with adjacent electrical power lines. The pilot selected an emergency landing area on the roadway and dove the airplane toward the ground between several sets of power lines. The airplane landed on the roadway, and the right wing struck a stop sign. The pilot then applied right rudder to intentionally swerve the airplane into a ditch. The airplane has two, metal wing mounted fuel tanks, each without any individual tank sump. The only fuel sump is an airframe gascolator. The pilot had previously encountered rust deposits in the fuel supply. Prior to departing on the accident flight, the pilot drained about a quart of fuel from the sump, and did not notice any contamination. An examination of the carburetor revealed evidence of rust.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.