Hughes STOL King accident near Seldovia, Alaska, March 23, 2003
On March 23, 2003 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Hughes STOL King, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N1243W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seldovia, Alaska (Seldovia airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power during initial climb for an undetermined reason, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 2003 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Seldovia, Alaska · Seldovia · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes STOL King, amateur-built
- Registration
- N1243W · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the homebuilt experimental airplane reported that soon after takeoff, the airplane's engine lost all power. He estimated he was about 150 feet above the runway, and elected to make an emergency landing on the remaining gravel runway. He said the airplane landed hard, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Discussions with the owner/builder of the airplane and the pilot disclosed they believed the engine may have lost power due to fuel starvation related to siphoning of fuel from the forward tanks to the rear tanks, or possibly inadequate fuel tank venting. The pilot also noted that carburetor icing conditions were prevalent the day of the accident, and although he used carburetor heat prior to takeoff, carburetor ice may have been a factor. Due to the remote location of the wreckage, the airplane was not inspected by NTSB or FAA personnel.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,214 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,160 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 20, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 2003; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,232 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SOV Seldovia AK
- Destination: SOV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 1,845 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from paso
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1243W on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Hughes 386 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Seldovia Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,930 since 1982 · 824 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,145 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC03LA033.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.