Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Birchwood Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Chugiak, Alaska 99567
Tuesady, April 4, 1989 11:45 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PLT RPRTD THAT WHEN THE ACFT WAS CLIMBING AT ABOUT 20 TO 30 FT AGL, HE MADE A POWER REDUCTION, THEN THE ENG LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING. HE WAS NOT SURE HE COULD CLEAR A FENCE THAT WAS AHEAD & TURNED LEFT ABOUT 110 DEG. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT IMPACTED ON RELATIVELY FLAT, FROZEN TERRAIN. IT SLID 96 FT & CAME TO REST ABOUT 175 FT EAST OF THE RWY. THE BROKEN CARBURETOR WAS REMOVED & DISASSEMBLED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR NOTICEABLE CONTAMINATION WAS FOUND. THE ENG WAS OPERATIONALLY CHECKED; IT STARTED & OPERATED WITH NO PROBLEMS THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE ACDNT. THE TEMP & DEW POINT WERE 36 & 27 DEG, RESPECTIVELY. ACCORDING TO CARB ICE CHARTS, CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICE. THE ACDNT OCCURRED AFTER THE PLT HAD INITIATED AN INTERSECTION TAKEOFF WITH ABOUT 1960 FT OF RWY REMAINING.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
CARBURETOR ICE DUE TO THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF POWERPLANT CONTROLS; AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHILE MANEUVERING (TURNING LEFT), WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO USE ALL AVAILABLE RUNWAY, AND CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/4/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1145 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | CHUGIAK |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99567 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | BIRCHWOOD |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | Z15 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 96 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1200 Atlantic Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 360 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | FRN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 378 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 10 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | ADT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 5000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 25 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 2 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -3 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 260 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 4 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1150 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 38576 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:35PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8677C |
| NTSB Number | ANC89FA056 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-18 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-18 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 18-2822 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1750 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Sep 1 1988 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 65 |
| Airframe Hours | 2977 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | KELLY L. VREM |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 670742 |
| Aircraft Owner City | CHUGIAK |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99567 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | CHARLES H. DOWRICK |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 19321 UPPER SKYLINE |
| Operator City | EAGLE RIVER |
| Operator State | AK |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 99577 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | Z15 |
| Departure City | CHUGIAK |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1145 |
| Departure Time Zone | ADT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 19 |
| Runway Length | 4010 |
| Runway Width | 100 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |