Amateur-built AVID FLYER accident near Chugiak, Alaska, July 18, 1999
On July 18, 1999 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built AVID FLYER, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chugiak, 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
A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 1999 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chugiak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AVID FLYER
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 67
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to an FAA inspector, the solo student pilot was told by another pilot at the airport the airplane should not be flown. He was also told he should receive instruction before flying it. The pilot was then observed placing fuel in the airplane and taking off. According to the FAA inspector who interviewed the pilot at his home, the pilot said the engine 'seized.' The airplane was damaged during the ensuing forced landing in mud flats. The FAA inspector said the propeller could be turned by hand, and the engine felt normal.
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: student
- Flight time: 45 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna 430 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BCV Birchwood AK at 3:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG 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.