Piper PA-18-150 accident near Palmer, Alaska, May 7, 2013
On May 7, 2013 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N8899Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Palmer, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to use continuous carburetor heat while operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in the development of carburetor ice and a subsequent partial loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2013 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N8899Y · registry record · serial 18-7409031
- 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 while in level cruise flight, the engine began to run rough and lost power. Unable to restore full engine power, the pilot selected an area of snow-covered terrain as a forced landing site. During the landing, as the main wheels contacted deep snow, the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing lift strut. The pilot reported that he applied carburetor heat after the initial loss of engine power and that the engine was only able to maintain 1,100 rpm. About the time of the accident, a weather observation station located about 25 miles northwest of the accident site reported the temperature at 45 degrees F and dew point at 41 degrees F. According to a carburetor icing probability chart, the airplane was susceptible to icing at both cruise and climb power. The pilot did not report and a postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction. It is likely that the loss of engine power was due to carburetor icing.
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 (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (partial) during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 520 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6AK7 Wasilla AK at 2:42 pm
- Destination: 6AK7 Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PAAQ, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC13CA044.