Piper PA-12 accident near Little Heart Lk, Alaska, October 13, 1988
On October 13, 1988 at about 3:00 am local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N3153M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Little Heart Lk, 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 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
- October 13, 1988 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Little Heart Lk, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N3153M · no longer on the register · serial 12-1840
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND CALLED A LOCAL PILOT IN THE TALKEETNA AREA FOR WEATHER AND THE CONDITIONS OF THE LAKE TO DETERMINE IF THE LAKE'S SURFACE HAD FROZEN. HE THEN DEPARTED FOR THE LAKE AT 1800 ADT AND WAS NOT HEARD FROM AGAIN. THE AIRPLANE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED WITHIN ONE QUARTER OF A MILE OF HIS DESTINATION, LITTLE HEART LAKE, JUST TO THESOUTHEAST OF THE SHORELINE. NO MECHANICAL IRREGULARITIES WERE FOUND DURING THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION. THE WRECKAGE SITE WAS SURROUNDED BY TREES AND ALDER SHRUBS WHICH SHOWED NO SIGNS OF IMPACT OR BRANCH BREAKAGE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN A NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 826 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 719 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,430 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 1987; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHD Anchorage AK at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from TKA, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N3153M 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.