Piper PA-18 accident near Glennallen, Alaska, May 23, 1998
On May 23, 1998 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N8578D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glennallen, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight of the airplane's fuel system, and presence of water in the fuel system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1998 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Glennallen, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N8578D · registry record · serial 18-6236
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated commercial pilot was conducting an aerial moose survey for the State of Alaska. The passenger was a wildlife biologist employed by the State of Alaska. The pilot said that while in cruise flight, about 500 feet above the ground, all engine power was lost. Attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful, and he turned the airplane to avoid rising terrain. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane collided with trees. The airplane received substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector, inspected the airplane wreckage, and obtained a fluid sample from the fuel system gascolator. The sample exhibited two obvious layers of separated liquid. The top layer consisted of a bluish liquid, consistent with the color of 100LL aviation fuel. The lower layer consisted of a clear liquid which appeared to be water. The NTSB investigator-in-charge tested the clear fluid with water finding paste. The sample tested positive for water.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 4,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 3, 1998; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK at 11:00 am
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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.