Interstate S-1B1 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, March 29, 2002
On March 29, 2002 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Interstate S-1B1, registered N48027, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. 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 separation of the exhaust system stack from the heat exchanger. A factor associated with the accident was an engine compartment fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 2002 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 2002
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Interstate S-1B1 · all S-1B1s on the register
- Registration
- N48027 · registry record · serial 11
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff from a remote airstrip, the pilot noted a loss of engine power, and smoke in the cockpit. While attempting to return to the airstrip, the engine lost all power, and the pilot was forced to land on a snow-covered field. During landing, the main wheels broke through the crusted snow, and the airplane nosed over. A postaccident inspection disclosed that the exhaust stack had separated from the cabin heater's heat exchanger. The hot exhaust gasses burned associated ducts, wires, and the lower engine cowling.
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
- Flight time: 2,768 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 2,768 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 5, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,447 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 2001; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z40 Goose Bay AK
- Destination: PAMR Merrill Field AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°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.
Other NTSB records under N48027 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N48027 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Interstate S-1 104 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Interstate 107 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D 258 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Goose Bay Airport · departed from
- Merrill Field · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N48027 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC02LA026.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.