Stinson 108 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, May 24, 1999
On May 24, 1999 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Stinson 108, registered N793C, was destroyed in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1999 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108 · all 108s on the register
- Registration
- N793C · no longer on the register · serial 3793
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A commercial pilot departed a private lake in a float equipped airplane for a flight over a 12 mile wide area of water. He intended to pick up two friends staying at a cabin, whom he dropped off the day before. The airplane did not arrive at the lake, and was reported overdue. Six days later, the body of the pilot was found along the shore of the area of water the pilot intended to cross. He was wearing a flotation cushion that was carried in the airplane. The cause of death was hypothermia, and drowning. The airplane has not been found. For several months before the accident, the airplane had a recurring engine roughness, backfiring, and several engine fires during start-up. During an annual inspection, one month before the accident, a mechanic installed a six point engine primer system. During flights within two days of the accident, passengers who flew in the airplane, commented that the engine would backfire when the throttle was reduced. One day before the accident, prior to flying the two friends to the cabin, the pilot purchased 20 gallons of automotive fuel, and poured it into the right wing fuel tank. During taxi for departure, the engine quit, and the pilot had difficulty restarting the engine. Automotive fuel is not recommended, or approved, for the engine.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,480 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK at 9:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 136° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from PAN, 8 miles away
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.