Maule M-5 accident near Palmer, Alaska, June 10, 1984
On June 10, 1984 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Maule M-5, registered N347X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palmer, Alaska (Finger Lake airport). It was a business 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).
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 10, 1984 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · Finger Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5 · all M-5s on the register
- Registration
- N347X · no longer on the register · serial 6157C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ATTEMPTED HIS FIRST WATER TAKE-OFF OF THE SEASON WITH THE AIRCRAFT LOADED OVER GROSS WITH AN AFT CG. UNABLE TO ATTAIN SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED TO CLEAR TALL TREES BORDERING THE WATERWAY, HE ATTEMPTED TO TURN AROUND AND LAND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED IN THE TURN, RECOVERED, BUT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND IMPACTED AT THE WATER'S EDGE.
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: 1,710 hours in all; 1,710 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 1,670 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 728 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 4, 1984; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: AMOS Nikolai AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 5,500 ft by 500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°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.
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.