Piper J5A accident near Sterling, Alaska, August 25, 2016
On August 25, 2016 at about 2:30 am local time, a Piper J5A, registered N35589, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sterling, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 improper fuel management, which led to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing on a road too narrow for the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2016 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Sterling, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J5A · all J5As on the register
- Registration
- N35589 · registry record · serial 5-693
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was returning from a local flight when he intentionally ran the right fuel tank dry. After switching fuel tanks, he attempted to restart the engine, but the attempt was unsuccessful. During an emergency landing on a narrow road, the right wing impacted brush and trees, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N35589 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 and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. 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 ANC16CA058.