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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 2005 · about 4:30 pm local time · cases in 2005
- 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
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5417H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-19 15 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B 179 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,144 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N5417H 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC05CA024.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.