Maule M-5-235C accident near Seward, AK
On August 15, 2004, a Maule M-5-235C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Seward, AK. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 15, 2004
- Place
- Seward, AK
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-235C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 57.929°N, 152.419°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040824X01279
Official records · ANC04FA092
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 15, 2004, about 1323 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Maule M-5-235C airplane, N6194M, sustained substantial damage during an emergency landing and ditching in the ocean waters of Resurrection Bay, about 1 mile southwest of Seward, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. Of the three people aboard, the private pilot sustained minor injuries, and the two passengers sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The accident airplane was one of two airplanes operating as a flight of two, en route to a remote beach site located about 24 miles southeast of Seward. Both of the airplanes departed from the Birchwood Airport, Chugiak, Alaska, about 1230. During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 24, the accident pilot reported that the flight from Birchwood to Seward was uneventful. He said that after passing over the town of Seward, both airplanes flew southbound over Resurrection Bay, en route to Johnstone Bay, their destination. He added that the shoreline along Resurrection Bay consists of rocky, vertical cliffs, and that roughly 12 miles south of the Seward airport, he noticed a heavy accumulation of bubbling black oil coming out of the engine oil dipstick access door, located just in front of the pilot's windscreen. He said that immediately after noticing the oil leak, he contacted the pilot in the s
Probable cause
The failure of an aviation mechanic/inspector to adequately inspect the pilot/owner's work during the engine overhaul, which resulted in a loss of engine oil and engine power during cruise flight, and a subsequent ditching. Factors associated with the accident were the inadequate installation of the idler gear shaft setscrew, and the lack of a safety wire on the three-quarter inch hex head (oil) p
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Browse: Alaska · Maule aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
