Amateur-built NORTHERN EXPLORER accident near Chickaloon, Alaska, August 8, 2016
On August 8, 2016 at about 5:00 am local time, a 2015 amateur-built NORTHERN EXPLORER, registered N907BT, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Chickaloon, Alaska. 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
A partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, which resulted from the pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2016 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Chickaloon, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built NORTHERN EXPLORER, built 2015
- Registration
- N907BT · registry record · serial 072515
- 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 conducting a low reconnaissance in his tailwheel-equipped airplane of a potential grass landing site in remote mountainous terrain during the late evening hours. While conducting the low reconnaissance, he engaged the carburetor heat, descended over the landing site, disengaged the carburetor heat, applied full throttle, and then departed from the landing site. As the airplane departed from the landing site, he reported that the engine revolutions per minute (rpm) were "very low" due to carburetor ice. He stated that due to the loss of power the airplane was capable of level flight, but unable to climb. As the airplane approached rising terrain, he turned about 180 degrees, and landed in an area of thick vegetation about 20 miles per hour. During the landing sequence, the propeller and left wing impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot further reported that the airplane did not have a carburetor temperature gauge installed. The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. In the recommendation section of the National Transportation Safety Board Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot stated that the accident may have been avoided if he did not utilize the landing site at that time of the day. The Federal Aviation Administration has published Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention (2009). This document discusses carburetor icing and states in part: Pilots should be aware that carburetor icing doesn't just occur in freezing conditions, it can occur at temperatures well above freezing temperatures when there is visible moisture or high humidity. Icing can occur in the carburetor at temperatures above freezing because vaporization of fuel, combined with the expansion of air as it flows through the carburetor, (Venturi Effect) causes sudden cooling, sometimes by a significant amount within a fraction of a second. Carburetor ice can be detected by a drop in rpm in fixed pitch propeller airplanes and a drop in manifold pressure in constant speed propeller airplanes. In both types, usually there will be a roughness in engine operation. The pilot should respond to carburetor icing by applying full carburetor heat immediately. The engine may run rough initially for a short time while ice melts.
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 approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Not used/operated
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 11, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 205 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 8, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7AK4 Wasilla AK at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 7AK4 Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.55 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from PAAQ, 30 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
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.
Other NTSB records under N907BT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ANC16CA056.