Piper PA-19 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, January 22, 2005
On January 22, 2005 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-19, registered N5417H, 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; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff/landing/taxi area, which resulted in an on-ground encounter with a berm, a loss of control on the ground, and collapse of the main landing gear. Factors associated with the accident were flat light conditions, and a berm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 2005 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-19 · all PA-19s on the register
- Registration
- N5417H · registry record · serial 3
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that he had landed on the frozen lake about an hour before the accident occurred. He said that the surface of the frozen lake was smooth and covered by about 2 inches of fresh snow, and that "flat light conditions" made it very difficult to discern any topographical features on the lake ice. The pilot reported that as he taxied the airplane in preparation for takeoff, it began to slide on the snow-covered ice, and he applied engine power in an attempt to gain effective rudder control. He said that as the airplane gained speed on the ice, the main landing gear wheels struck a large ice ridge, and the airplane was "pitched into the air." The pilot said that in an attempt to land the airplane and regain control, he closed the throttle, and the airplane descended rapidly. The airplane's main wheels struck the lake, and the left main landing gear partially collapsed. The airplane subsequently veered to the left, struck a stand of trees on the left side of the lake, and sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
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: 2,796 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,697 as pilot in command; 98 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 18, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,678.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 23, 2003; 3,600 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Big Lake AK at 4:30 pm
- Destination: Z41 Lake Hood A/S AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5417H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC05CA024.