Piper PA-18 accident near Sterling, Alaska, February 23, 2011
On February 23, 2011 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N623MP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Sterling, Alaska (Sterling Air Park 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 airplane owner improper fabrication of a fuel line, and subsequent inadequate inspection by an aviation mechanic, resulting in a loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 2011 · about 9:15 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Sterling, Alaska · Sterling Air Park · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N623MP · registry record · serial 188090
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the accident flight was the first flight after a major rebuild of the airplane. After completing ground runs on the engine, he and a passenger departed for a test flight. During the initial climb, approximately 600 feet above the ground, the engine lost power. He elected to land in a snow-covered field and during the landing the airplane nosed over. Substantial damage was sustained to both the front and rear lift struts on the right wing. A postaccident inspection of the fuel system by the pilot revealed a flap of rubber inside a flexible fuel hose that was of significant size to restrict fuel flow to the engine. The fuel hose was fabricated by the airplane owner, under the supervision of the mechanic. The fuel hose which was fabricated out of flexible automotive hydraulic line was not an approved aircraft-grade fuel hose.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › Hoses and tubes › Inadequate inspection other cases naming the other and general
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Fabrication › Owner/builder
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel distribution › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the engine
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 24, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 40AK Sterling AK at 9:10 pm
- Destination: 40AK Sterling AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 1,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point -6°F (-21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.85 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from PASX, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on March 29, 2011. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N623MP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub 3,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,839 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sterling Air Park Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC11CA013.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.