Piper PA-18 accident near Sparrovahn, Alaska, July 3, 1986
On July 3, 1986 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N5472H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sparrovahn, Alaska. It was a personal 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
- July 3, 1986 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sparrovahn, Alaska
- 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
- N5472H · registry record · serial 1864
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED A TOTAL LOSS OF PWR OCCURRED WHILE MANEUVERING OVER AN AREA TO OBSERVE THE TERRAIN. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE ON A GRAVEL BAR DURING WHICH THE ACFT NOSED OVER. IN HIS RECOMMENDATION ON HOW THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED, THE PLT REPORTED, 'YOU CAN NEVER CHECK YOUR FUEL ENOUGH.'
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,285 hours in all; 1,510 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,624 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 18, 1985; 110 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lime Village AK at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.