Piper PA-18-150 N6881B

Summary

On 29 June 2001 at about 21:50 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N6881B was involved in an accident near Palmer, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 June 2001 at 21:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmer, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.5833, -149.0925

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N6881B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palmer → Palmer

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC01LA078

2 people were seriously injured.

Fuel starvation due to the pilot's selection of an empty fuel tank during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certificated private pilot, with one passenger aboard, was departing from a 800-feet long airstrip. A witness to the accident reported that just after takeoff the accident airplane's engine began to run rough and lose power. The witness said that it appeared that the pilot was trying to turn the airplane around in an attempt to return to the airstrip, and subsequently struck the surface of an open field next to the airstrip. An FAA airworthiness inspector from the local FSDO, traveled to the accident scene and examined the airplane. He reported that the airplane came to rest upright with the left wing still attached to the fuselage, but the right wing was torn from the airplane during the impact. Both wing fuel tanks remained intact and were not breached, and the fuel selector valve was selected to the right fuel tank. The right fuel tank was empty, but the left tank was approximately 2/3 full. The FAA inspector interviewed a neighbor that lives close to the accident airstrip who responded to the accident site, just after the accident. The neighbor stated that in the process of assisting rescue personnel, he moved the right wing away from the fuselage. In the process of moving the severed wing, he noted that the right wing fuel tank was empty, with no visible signs of postaccident spillage. While at the accident site an Alaska State Trooper removed the right wing fuel cap, and verified that the right wing fuel tank was empty.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.