Piper PA 11 accident near Aniak, Alaska, December 16, 2016
On December 16, 2016, a 1949 Piper PA 11, registered N5028H, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Aniak, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional flight of the airplane into terrain in an act of suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 2016 · cases in 2016
- Place
- Aniak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 11, built 1949 · all PA 11s on the register
- Registration
- N5028H · registry record · serial 11-908
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot and a passenger departed on a flight to an airstrip about 40 nautical miles away. When they failed to return as scheduled, family members notified law enforcement, and the wreckage was subsequently located in an area of snow-covered, rising terrain. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Following a death investigation, the State Medical Examiner classified the manner of death as a suicide.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Suicide › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANI Aniak AK
- Destination: Aniak AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from PANI, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 8, 2017. 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 | Alaska Dps Incident Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5028H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-11 Cub Special 443 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES 27,304 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Aniak Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,144 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC17FA012.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.