Noorduyn UC-64A accident near Akiachak, Alaska, July 11, 2009
On July 11, 2009 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Noorduyn UC-64A, registered N225BL, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Akiachak, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 loss of engine power due to the failure of a crankshaft component, resulting in an off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2009 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Akiachak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Noorduyn UC-64A · all UC-64As on the register
- Registration
- N225BL · no longer on the register · serial 542
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was on a Title 14, CFR Part 135 passenger flight. The pilot said during cruise flight he heard a loud bang, and the engine started running rough. He said he diverted to the nearest airport, but the engine quit completely, and he was unable to reach the runway. The airplane subsequently collided with terrain, sustaining substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. An examination of the engine revealed that a locking screw had backed out of one of the anti-vibration counterweights on the crankshaft, scoring the interior back surface of the engine case. The unsecured counterweight then moved from its position in the crankshaft, and was likely struck by the engine's master rod, which shattered the weight, and liberated it from its normal location. The liberated counterweight was struck by internal moving parts, creating several component failures, and ultimately an engine seizure.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure other cases naming the engine
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 7,200 as pilot in command; 100 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,729 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 6, 2009; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,540 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R1340 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PABE Bethel AK at 4:00 pm
- Destination: TLT Tuluksak AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 26, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Statement from Jp Air Service Llc - Director of Operations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N225BL 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
- N225BL: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Noorduyn UC-64 5 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Noorduyn 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W R1340 SERIES 1,229 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Bethel Airport · departed from
- Tuluksak Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N225BL 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/ANC09LA065.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.