Piper J5A N35395

Summary

On 30 August 2006 at about 03:30 local time, a Piper J5A registered N35395 was involved in an accident near North Pole, Alaska, United States. 2 people were 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

30 August 2006 at 03:30

Classification

Accident

Location

North Pole, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

65.1958, -146.1214

Aircraft

Piper J5A

Registration

N35395

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bradley Sky → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC06LA129

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation during cruise flight, and an emergency landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a VFR, personal local flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the airplane lost all engine power during cruise flight. The pilot stated that he performed a preflight inspection prior to the local flight, and there were no signs of fuel contamination. The left wing fuel tank was about one-quarter full, the right wing fuel tank was about three-quarters full, and he said the takeoff and flight were uneventful until the airplane lost engine power. The pilot said he had the left wing fuel tank selected, and was cruising about 2000 feet above ground level. He said he switched tanks, and turned the airplane toward the only open ground in the vicinity. The airplane's engine failed to restart, and an emergency landing was made in a marsh. The pilot said when the airplane touched down, it rolled about 30 feet before it nosed over. In a written statement, the pilot reported that the airplane was equipped with "U" tube type fuel level indicators in the wing roots. He wrote that he believed that trapped fuel in the indicators gave him a false indication of the fuel quantity in the tanks. The pilot said he felt the loss of engine power was due to fuel starvation. He also noted in the section, Recommendation (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented): "timing in fuel management." The airplane was not examined by the NTSB.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.