Maule M-5 accident near Purkeypile Mine, Alaska, September 25, 1991
On September 25, 1991 at about 2:00 am local time, a Maule M-5, registered N51645, was substantially damaged in an accident near Purkeypile Mine, Alaska. 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 PILOT'S IMPROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT ON THE GRAVEL BAR. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S INATTENTIVENESS AND THE DITCH IN THE GRAVEL BAR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1991 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Purkeypile Mine, Alaska · 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
- N51645 · no longer on the register · serial 6510C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE MISTAKENLY LANDED ON A DIFFERENT PART OF THE GRAVEL BAR THAN HE HAD INTENDED. DURING THE LANDING ROLL HE SAW A DITCH TO HIS FRONT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO STOP BEFORE THE AIRPLANE RAN INTO IT.
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: 4,594 hours in all; 3,300 in this make and model; 134 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days; 4,492 as pilot in command; 102 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 19, 1990; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Mystic Lake AK at 8:30 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; 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.
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.