Piper J5A N38149

Summary

On 13 April 2008 at about 03:00 local time, a Piper J5A registered N38149 was involved in an accident near Big Lake, 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

13 April 2008 at 03:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Lake, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Big Lake (BGQ)

Coordinates

61.5350, -149.8083

Aircraft

Piper J5A

Registration

N38149

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Big Lake → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC08LA052

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power during takeoff/initial climb for an undetermined reason.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The solo commercial pilot said the airplane lifted off the runway, climbed about 50 feet, and the engine quit. He said the airplane descended into trees at the end of the runway, sustaining structural damage to both wings, the tail, and fuselage. The pilot, who is a certificated aircraft mechanic, said the airplane had not flown in about a year, and that he had spent the day getting the airplane ready for the flight. He said that the airplane had fuel, and seemed to run fine on the ground. The pilot reported that he had moved the airplane around, raised the tail, and drained about 1-2 gallons of clear fuel from the airplane. He said he also preheated the engine for several hours prior to the accident flight. A detailed examination of the engine was not done, and the reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.