Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
N/A Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Nondalton, Alaska 99640
Thursday, September 5, 2013 13:00 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
On September 5, 2013, about 1300 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Piper J3L-65 airplane, N38262, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing, following a loss of engine power, near Nondalton, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under the provisions of Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight departed about 1150, from the Keyes Point Airstrip, a private remote fly-in community about 18 miles southwest of Port Alsworth, Alaska.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on September 11, the pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to scout for moose to hunt. He said that while in level cruise flight, he heard a loud "pop," which was followed by a total loss of engine power, and he made a forced landing to an open, tundra-covered site. During the forced landing, the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage.
When the flight failed to arrive back at the Keyes Point Airstrip on the evening of September 5, a concerned family member of the passenger reported the airplane overdue. The flight was officially reported overdue to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at 1238, on September 6. Search personnel from the Civil Air Patrol, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Air National Guard, along with several volunteers, were dispatched to conduct an extensive search effort.
No emergency transmitter locator (ELT) signal was received by search personnel. The accident airplane was equipped with an older generation 121.5 MHz ELT instead of a digital, 406 MHz ELT that instantly transmits a distress signal to search and rescue satellites, thereby alerting rescue personnel within minutes of the location of the crash. As of February 1, 2009, analog, 121.5 MHz ELT's stopped being monitored by search and rescue satellites, and the installation of the 406 MHz has been voluntary. Both types of ELT's can be turned on manually, or automatically, by impact forces.
On September 7, about 2151, the airplane's overturned wreckage was located by an Alaska State Trooper search airplane about 10 miles north-northwest of Nondalton, but the two occupants were not found at the accident site.
On September 8, about 1200, the two uninjured occupants were located about 3 miles northwest of Nondalton.
The airplane was equipped with a Continental Motors C-85 series engine.
The airplane owner's insurance company sold the airplane wreckage on an "as is, where is" basis. According to the new owner, a postaccident inspection of the airplane's engine revealed a fractured exhaust valve stem on the number four cylinder, which subsequently pulverized the electrodes on both sparks plugs, and severely damaged the piston. Once the number 4 cylinder was replaced, the engine was started, and it continued to operate without further mechanical anomalies. The fractured valve stem was not made available to the NTSB for examination.
After repeated requests, the accident pilot did not submit the required 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/5/2013 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1300 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | Nondalton |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99640 |
| Event Date Year | 2013 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 601231N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1551660W |
| Event Location Airport | N/A |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 13 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | -- |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Light and Variable |
| Wind Gust Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | -- |
| NTSB Notification Source | Alaska State Troopers / ANC FA |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 4 2014 6:19PM |
| User who most recently changed record | stam |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N38262 |
| NTSB Number | ANC13LA102 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | J3L-65 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 6887 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | -- |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | 1 |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | 2 |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | -- |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | James Larry Minton |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | WILKESBORO |
| Aircraft Owner State | NC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 995162003 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Patrick Paul Williams |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Salem |
| Operator State | OR |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 97304 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | No |
| Departure Airport Code | -- |
| Departure City | Port Alsworth |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1150 |
| Departure Time Zone | AKD |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | Port Alsworth |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 4 2014 6:19PM |
| User who most recently changed record | stam |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | N/A |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |