Amateur-built WAIEX accident near Sterling, Alaska, July 7, 2011
On July 7, 2011 at about 11:00 pm local time, a amateur-built WAIEX, registered N18YX, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Sterling, Alaska (Sterling Air Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid an aerodynamic stall following a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2011 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Sterling, Alaska · Sterling Air Park · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WAIEX
- Registration
- N18YX · registry record · serial W0018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was on a postmaintenance check flight. Witnesses reported that after takeoff, when the airplane was about 200 feet above the ground, it lost all engine power and entered a rapid, nose-low descent. The witnesses said that the engine appeared to restart just before the airplane collided with the departure end of the runway. External engine and airframe examinations revealed no mechanical anomalies. An internal engine examination was not accomplished. Due to injuries sustained in the accident, the pilot was unable to remember anything about the accident. Although the initiating event for the loss of engine power was not discovered, sufficient altitude was available for the pilot to effect a recovery and make a controlled forced landing after the power loss. His delay in responding to the loss of engine power likely precipitated a rapid decay in airspeed and subsequent aerodynamic stall.
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 defining event
- Loss of control in flight during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › (general) › (general) › Inoperative other cases naming the engine
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 503 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 444 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 0 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 14, 2010; 50 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen AeroVee 2.1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 40AK Sterling AK at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 40AK Sterling AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 1,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PAEN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 5, 2012. 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 |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N18YX on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Volkswagen AeroVee 2.1 · 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/ANC11LA060.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.