Piper PA-18A 150 accident near Galena, Alaska, September 8, 2011
On September 8, 2011 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18A 150, registered N2694P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Galena, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2011 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Galena, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18A 150 · all PA-18A 150s on the register
- Registration
- N2694P · registry record · serial 18-4382
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a personal cross-country flight after departing a remote hunting camp when the engine lost power; the pilot landed on the tundra, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane received substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and empennage. The pilot said that the accident flight was the second flight of the day. Earlier in the day he had attempted the flight but was forced back to the camp by weather. He had borrowed the airplane for the hunting trip and was unfamiliar with the fuel system. The airplane was equipped with modified fuel tanks and a digital fuel totalizer. The pilot was unable to visually check the fuel quantity in the tanks due to the design, but according to the totalizer he should have had enough fuel for the trip. Due to the remote location, the airplane was not examined by the NTSB, and thus no determination was made as to why the engine lost power. Due to the lack of temperature and dew point data, it could not be determined if carburetor icing was a factor in the power loss. The reporting weather station is 60 miles away and the data would probably not be useful.
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 enroute (cruise)
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all; 75 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command; 250 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 31, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Galena AK at 4:40 pm
- Destination: GAL Galena AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.