Piper PA-18 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, June 12, 1982
On June 12, 1982, a Piper PA-18, registered N8653Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Sand Lake airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1982
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Sand Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N8653Y · registry record · serial 18-1634
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT BEFORE TAKEOFF, HE HAD TROUBLE GETTING THE ENGINE TO DEVELOP POWER. HE CALLED A MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT CONDITIONS WERE RIGHT FOR CARBURETOR ICING. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED RUNNING THE ENGINE WITH CARBURETOR HEAT APPLIED. THE PILOT DID THIS AND SAID THAT IT HELPED, SO HE TOOK OFF TO TEST THE ENGINE OPERATION IN FLIGHT. HE CIRCLED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE FLYING WITH THE CARBURETOR HEAT ON, THEN TURNED THE HEAT OFF. WITH THE HEAT OFF, THE ENGINE RPM INCREASED FOR A FEW SECONDS, AND THEN ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE ENGINE SPUTTERED AND LOST POWER. THE PILOT REAPPLIED THE CARBURETOR HEAT, BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND FULLY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DAMAGED WHILE LANDING IN A SPRUCE COVERED, SWAMPY AREA.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 754 hours in all; 754 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 715 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Sand Lake AK at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Sand Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N8653Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.