Amateur-built CHALLENGER 2 accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, May 5, 1996
On May 5, 1996 at about 5:30 pm local time, a amateur-built CHALLENGER 2, registered N1591G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talkeetna, 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 pilot's failure to properly use the mixture control to enrich the fuel mixture, and the seizure of the piston in the cylinder.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 1996 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER 2 CHALLENGER
- Registration
- N1591G · no longer on the register · serial 08941196
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was in cruise flight on a personal flight when he noted a rise in the rear cylinder head temperature of the number two (rear) cylinder. He adjusted the mixture screw and watched the temperature continue to rise. During a precautionary landing, the engine stopped producing power, and the pilot was forced to land the airplane on a road. Subsequent examination showed that the piston in the rear cylinder would not move. Examination of the mixture screws showed that the mixture screw controlling the rear cylinder was in the lean position. The direction on rotation for leaning or enriching the mixture was not marked on the mixture screws.
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: 93 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 49 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirth 2706 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TKA AK at 12:20 pm
- Destination: BCV Birchwood AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.