Piper PA-18-150 N2447J

Summary

On 21 February 2025 at about 01:42 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N2447J was involved in an accident near Wasilla, 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

21 February 2025 at 01:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Tidewater Airport (77AK)

Coordinates

61.4895, -149.6037

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N2447J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Goose Bay → Wasilla

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC25LA019

Nobody was injured.

A total 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, while performing touch-and-go landings, on final approach with the carburetor heat on, the airplane’s engine suddenly lost total power. After assessing that the airplane had insufficient altitude to glide to the runway, the pilot selected nearby hay flats as a forced landing site. During the forced landing, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane’s right wing impacted terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. A postaccident examination of the engine, including the carburetor heat control, revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Fuel was recovered from both wing fuel tanks and the fuselage sump drains. Although the atmospheric conditions in which the airplane was operating were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at glide and cruise power settings, the pilot’s reported use of carburetor heat during the approach would have prevented the accumulation of carburetor ice. Based on this information, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.