Maule M-5-220C accident near Aniak, Alaska, October 8, 2007
On October 8, 2007 at about 4:47 am local time, a Maule M-5-220C, registered N62029, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aniak, Alaska (Chuathbaluk airport). 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 improper fuel tank selection and fuel starvation, while doing touch-and-go landings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2007 · about 4:47 am local time
- Place
- Aniak, Alaska · Chuathbaluk · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-220C · all M-5-220Cs on the register
- Registration
- N62029 · no longer on the register · serial 5054C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot flew 10 miles east to another airport for night currency training. He said he was doing touch and go landings, and while flying on the downwind leg, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot reported that he was unable to reach the runway, and that the airplane landed in trees. He said the airplane was fueled prior to the departure, and that he switched fuel tanks after the engine lost power. The pilot said the airplane sustained damage to the wings and fuselage when it collided with trees. He reported that a more thorough preflight of the fuel tanks, and to verify which tank the engine was operating on, may have prevented the accident.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,006 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 236 in the last 90 days; 108 in the last 30 days; 1,902 as pilot in command; 651 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,071 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A-360-C1R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PANI Aniak AK at 11:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 3,400 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft; a few clouds at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.71 inHg
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.