Stinson 108-1 N8656K

Summary

On 2 August 2021 at about 22:58 local time, a Stinson 108-1 registered N8656K, operated by Stinson Aviation Company LLC, was involved in an accident near Sterling, Alaska, United States. 4 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

2 August 2021 at 22:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Sterling, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Scooter's Landing Strip (AK84)

Coordinates

60.5286, -150.8299

Aircraft

Stinson 108-1

Registration

N8656K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Stinson Aviation Company LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC21LA068

Nobody was injured.

Insufficient available power as a result of low compression in three engine cylinders. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to takeoff with a slight quartering tailwind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a local flight with friends onboard. He estimated the airplane’s takeoff weight to be about 76 lbs under maximum gross weight. The pilot stated that during the initial climb, the engine did not feel like it was producing full power and the airplane descended into trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. A video of the takeoff and initial climb revealed that the sound of the engine was consistent throughout the length of the video with no audible anomalies noted. A windsock that was visible in the video showed a slight right-quartering tailwind at the time of the takeoff. A postaccident examination revealed that the top spark plug from the No. 6 cylinder was mostly unscrewed and exhibited external signatures consistent with exposure to high heat, which indicated hot gas was leaking out of the cylinder through the spark plug hole. When the cylinders were checked for compression using the thumb check method, the Nos. 2 and 3 cylinders produced low compression. It is likely that the loose spark plug in combination with the two weak cylinders resulted in the engine producing less than full power. Additionally, the pilot’s decision to takeoff with a slight right-quartering tailwind likely contributed to the airplane’s lack of climb performance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.