Sonex / John D McCarter WAIEX N18YX
7 July 2011 · Sterling, Alaska, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 7 July 2011 at about 23:00 local time, a Sonex / John D McCarter WAIEX registered N18YX, operated by Kincaid Jerry L, was involved in an accident near Sterling, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sterling, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Sterling Air Park (40AK)
- Coordinates
- 60.5531, -150.8389
- Aircraft
- Sonex / John D McCarter WAIEX
- Registration
- N18YX
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Kincaid Jerry L
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sterling → Sterling
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC11LA060
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid an aerodynamic stall following a 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 pilot reported that he was on a postmaintenance check flight. Witnesses reported that after takeoff, when the airplane was about 200 feet above the ground, it lost all engine power and entered a rapid, nose-low descent. The witnesses said that the engine appeared to restart just before the airplane collided with the departure end of the runway. External engine and airframe examinations revealed no mechanical anomalies. An internal engine examination was not accomplished. Due to injuries sustained in the accident, the pilot was unable to remember anything about the accident. Although the initiating event for the loss of engine power was not discovered, sufficient altitude was available for the pilot to effect a recovery and make a controlled forced landing after the power loss. His delay in responding to the loss of engine power likely precipitated a rapid decay in airspeed and subsequent aerodynamic stall.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Aug 2011 | De Havilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A) | Northway, Alaska, United States | Copper Valley Air Service LLC | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2011 | Piper PA-18-180 | Valdez, Alaska, United States | Erik F. Hursh | No injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 2011 | Piper PA-20 | Tyonek, Alaska, United States | Randy F. Stahl | No injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 2011 | Cessna 207 | Chuathbaluk, Alaska, United States | Inland Aviation | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Nov 2011 | Cessna A185F | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | Sheldon Air Service | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2011 | Cessna 180H | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | Russey Reagan | No injuries | - |