Piper J5A accident near Soldotna, Alaska, December 1, 2002
On December 1, 2002 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper J5A, registered N270JS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Soldotna, Alaska (Soldotna 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 pilot's failure to remove all water from the airplane's fuel supply during the preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of engine power and subsequent hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 2002 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Soldotna, Alaska · Soldotna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J5A · all J5As on the register
- Registration
- N270JS · registry record · serial 5-18
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed on runway 07, and the pilot started a right climbing turn when the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, and checked the position of the fuel tank selector, but he could not restart the engine. About 200 feet above ground level, he turned toward the runway. The airplane landed hard on the runway, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the runway. There were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. The mechanic who recovered the airplane removed more than a pint of water from the right wing fuel sump. The pilot said he fueled the airplane with 87-octane auto gas from 5-gallon cans prior to the flight. He further said he should have strained the fuel through a water trap filter.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,180 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,120 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 5, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 11, 2002; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SXQ Soldotna AK at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 5,000 ft by 130 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 100 ft; clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from PASX, 1 miles away
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 N270JS 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.