Piper PA 12 N3233M

Summary

On 26 August 2017 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA 12 registered N3233M, operated by Wrangell Mountain Air Inc., was involved in an accident near Gulkana, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 August 2017 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gulkana, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.1692, -145.4103

Aircraft

Piper PA 12

Registration

N3233M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Wrangell Mountain Air Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Remote Cabin → Gulkana

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA511

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate in-flight fuel planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was transporting hunters to a remote cabin. The flight was a 146-mile multileg flight, which departed with about 20 gallons of fuel, which he believed was sufficient for the approximate 2-hour flight with about 30 minutes for fuel reserve. The pilot reported that visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the flight, but he noted that, due to low stratus clouds and rain showers, he diverted from his planned flightpath. He added that, on the last leg of the flight, the unanticipated headwind component was about 15 to 25 mph. About 2 miles from his destination, fuel exhaustion occurred, and the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot deviated from his destination to a river to execute a forced landing. While on the base-to-final leg on landing approach, the headwind changed to a tailwind, and the airplane landed in a left-wing-low orientation. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.