Piper PA-18-150 accident near Mackey Lake, Alaska, August 18, 1992
On August 18, 1992 at about 6:02 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4714Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mackey Lake, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A LOSS OF POWER FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. A FACTOR WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE SEVERITY OF THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY STALLED THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1992 · about 6:02 pm local time
- Place
- Mackey Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4714Y · registry record · serial 188956
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE GRADUALLY LOST POWER (AS IF SOMEONE WAS SLOWLY PULLING THE POWER OFF) DURING A CLIMB FROM TAKEOFF AT ABOUT 300 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. A WITNESS (PILOT) ON THE GROUND INITIALLY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE IN AN ATTITUDE WHICH RESEMBLED A LANDING FLARE. THE AIRPLANE THEN PITCHED FORWARD AND DESCENDED VERTICALLY TOWARD THE GROUND. THE PILOT SAID THAT HE MAY HAVE UNINTENTIONALLY STALLED THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENT TO THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE AIRPLANE CRASHED IN A SMALL UNNAMED LAKE, FLIPPED ONTO ITS BACK, AND REMAINED IN THIS STATE FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS. A POST ACCIDENT EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM HARDWRAE AND THE POWERPLANT ASSEMBLY DID NOT REVEAL FAILURES OR ANOMALIES THAT WOULD INDICATE AN INOPERATIVE CONDITION. LIKEWISE, THE SOURCE FROM WHICH THE PLANE WAS FUELED WAS UNREMARKABLE. THE PILOT DID NOT POSSESS A SINGLE ENGINE SEA RATING AND HAD NOT COMPLETED A BIENNIAL FLIGHT REVIEW OR EQUIVALENT IN 40 MONTHS.
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
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 861 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 4, 1992; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N4714Y 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.