Piper PA-18 accident near Naknek, Alaska, May 19, 2006
On May 19, 2006 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N4167Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Naknek, Alaska (Diamond J airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 for an undetermined reason, which resulted in a forced landing and subsequent collision with high vegetation and the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2006 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Naknek, Alaska · Diamond J · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N4167Z · registry record · serial 18-8349
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was in cruise flight about 1,000 feet above ground level (agl), when the engine began to lose rpm. The pilot said the engine gauges appeared to be normal, but the rpm kept decreasing. The pilot said he performed all emergency procedures, including application of carburetor heat, but the airplane could not sustain level flight. He turned toward a remote airstrip, and prepared for an emergency landing. The pilot said the airplane collided with alders and then bounced off the ground, coming to rest near the end of runway 13 at the airstrip, facing the opposite direction of flight. The airplane received structural damage to the fuselage, empennage, and wings. The pilot was unable to determine what precipitated the loss of engine power, and the engine was not examined 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,772 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5NK Naknek AK at 10:10 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N4167Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.