Piper PA-12 accident near Koliganek, Alaska, September 4, 2004
On September 4, 2004 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N2899M, was destroyed in an accident near Koliganek, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while on approach to land, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and an uncontrolled descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2004 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Koliganek, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N2899M · no longer on the register · serial 12-1320
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot and one passenger departed on a cross-country personal flight in a tundra tire-equipped airplane to go hunting. According to a friend, prior to departure, the pilot added fuel to both of the airplane's 19-gallon wing fuel tanks, and filled three containers with a total of 15 gallons of fuel. He placed the fuel containers in the rear cargo compartment, along with a tent, rifles, ammunition, a cook stove, and other camping items. The pilot-rated passenger's most recent third-class medical certificate listed his weight as 245 lbs. Following the accident, a passing pilot noted a plume of smoke and located the accident airplane nose down in the tundra, fully engulfed in fire. The airplane wreckage came to rest in a near vertical attitude, about one-quarter of a mile from a slightly elevated plateau located to the northwest of the accident site, commonly used as a landing site by pilots with tundra-tire equipped airplanes. Postaccident investigation revealed that the estimated gross weight of the airplane at takeoff was 1,912 pounds, 162 pounds in excess of the airplane's maximum takeoff gross weight. Due to extensive fire damage, the airplane's weight and center of gravity at the time of the accident could not be determined. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies.
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: 1,605 hours in all
- Last flight review: May 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,795.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ILI Iliamna AK at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Koliganek AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from ILI, 65 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.