Maule M-7-235 accident near Wrangell, Alaska, October 17, 2002
On October 17, 2002 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Maule M-7-235, registered N5662S, was destroyed in an accident near Wrangell, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate weather evaluation, his continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from terrain/water, which resulted in a collision with water while maneuvering. Factors associated with the accident were fog and glassy water conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2002 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Wrangell, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-7-235 · all M-7-235s on the register
- Registration
- N5662S · registry record · serial 4025C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo private pilot was departing in a float-equipped airplane for a flight over an area of open ocean water. During a phone interview the day after the accident, the pilot said that just after takeoff, while crossing a 1-mile wide channel of open water, he encountered a fog bank. He noted that the ocean water was "as smooth as glass." As the flight progressed, the visibility deteriorated to a point that he elected to turn around. During a left 180 degree turn, the airplane descended, collided with the ocean, broke apart, and sank. In the pilot's written statement to the NTSB, the pilot said that he suspected that the floats of the airplane had been sabotaged, which allowed water to enter the floats, which in turn extended the airplane's takeoff roll, and precipitated his encounter with the fog bank. In a written statement to the NTSB, a witness who could hear, but not see the accident airplane's takeoff, wrote, in part: "The fog at that time was so heavy and so thick that our dock, which is about 75 feet from where I was standing, was a slight shadow. It would have been zero visibility." The airplane wreckage sank in ocean waters estimated to be between 150 to 250 feet deep and has not been recovered.
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: 265 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 175 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 17, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WRG Wrangell AK at 1:18 pm
- Destination: WRG Wrangell AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0 statute miles
- Temperature: 45°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 N5662S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.