Taylorcraft BL-65 N29886

Summary

On 14 January 2023 at about 00:30 local time, a Taylorcraft BL-65 registered N29886 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

14 January 2023 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.3325, -150.0771

Aircraft

Taylorcraft BL-65

Registration

N29886

Category

Airplane

Year built

1941

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC23LA013

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to remove all water from the fuel tank, which resulted in fuel contamination and a subsequent partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before the day of the accident, the nose fuel tank cap had been dislodged during a snowstorm, which allowed snow to enter the fuel tank. During preflight inspection, the pilot drained fuel from the fuel tank and discovered water in the fuel. He continued to drain the fuel until no water was visible. The pilot took off and during cruise flight the engine began to run rough so he performed a precautionary landing on a road. He drained fuel from the fuel tank again and once again found water in the fuel. He continued to drain fuel until there was no more sign of water. The pilot’s mechanic responded to the site to assist the pilot. The mechanic drained all of the fuel from the carburetor to ensure there was no water. They started the engine, and it ran normally again so the pilot decided to take off. Shortly after departure from the road, the engine began to run rough again. The pilot landed back on the road. During the landing roll, the right wing impacted a street sign, and the airplane came to rest in a ditch. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed water in fuel samples drained from the gascolator and carburetor. Other than the presence of water, no anomalies were noted with the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.