Piper PA-18-150 N3236P accident near Iliamna, Alaska

Probable cause

A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason during an approach for landing, which resulted in a forced landing and collision with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot departed a remote area about 20 miles west of his intended destination airport. At that time, the airplane had about 6 gallons of fuel in the left wing fuel tank, and the right wing fuel tank was nearly empty. As the flight approached the airport, the engine began to sputter and lose power. He switched to the right tank, but it ran for only a few seconds, and the engine sputtered. He switched back to the left fuel tank, but the engine continued to sputter, and the airplane lost altitude. He selected a road as a forced landing spot, but was unable to reach the road. The airplane collided with a tree and tundra, about 1.5 miles short of the airport. The pilot said that after the collision, the engine was still running, and he shut it down. The airplane received structural damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot indicated that after the accident, the left fuel tank was still showing about 4 gallons in the left wing tank sight gauge. Recovery personnel reported that they drained about 5 gallons from the left tank during retrieval of the airplane.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC08LA078 for the full record.