Amateur-built Avid Flyer accident near Chugiak, Alaska, August 22, 2001
On August 22, 2001 at about 8:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Avid Flyer, registered N47065, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chugiak, Alaska (Birchwood airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power during initial climb due to a broken spark plug.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 2001 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chugiak, Alaska · Birchwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Avid Flyer
- Registration
- N47065 · registry record · serial 063
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported the experimental amateur built airplane he was flying had a loss of engine power while climbing in the traffic pattern after takeoff. He said he had insufficient altitude to return to the airstrip, and had to land near a railroad track. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a ditch and received substantial damage. The pilot wrote in his report to the NTSB that the loss of engine power was due to a broken spark plug in one of the engine's two cylinders.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 26, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 60 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 2001; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BCV Chugiak AK at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19L
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.