Amateur-built Northman 2+2 accident near Nenana, Alaska, October 14, 2005
On October 14, 2005 at about 5:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Northman 2+2, registered N239PT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nenana, Alaska. 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
A loss of engine power during cruise flight due to a cracked oil filter housing and subsequent loss of engine oil, which resulted in a forced landing in trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2005 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Nenana, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Northman 2+2
- Registration
- N239PT · registry record · serial 597
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In preparation for a cross-country personal flight in an amateur built experimental airplane, the private certificated pilot preheated the engine, conducted a preflight, and started the engine to warm it up. After departure, he leveled the airplane in cruise flight, with an outside ambient temperature of about 12 degrees F. About 15 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost power and the propeller stopped. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but it would not rotate, and he selected an area of small trees for a forced landing. Following the accident, the pilot said he noticed oil covering the belly of the airplane. The airplane was equipped with a remote oil filter housing which was designed for racing/automotive use, and was mounted on the firewall for ease of servicing. The filter is comprised of a rectangular cast aluminum housing. The center of each half of the housing has a raised horizontal rib along the longest axis of the case that incorporates an oil passage. An examination of the housing revealed a vertical, 1.25 inch crack in the center rib of the upper housing half. The crack was also visible on the inside of the housing in the center of the horizontal oil passage. The inner and outer filter screen rubber gaskets were undamaged. The mechanism for the initiation of the crack was not determined.
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: 1,509 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,483 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 410 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 110 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,175 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-J2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Nenana AK at 12:15 pm
- Destination: PAFA Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.