Piper PA-12 accident near Koliganek, AK
On September 4, 2004, a Piper PA-12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Koliganek, AK. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 4, 2004
- Place
- Koliganek, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 59.913°N, 157.012°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040908X01364
Official records · ANC04FA102
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 4, 2004, at an estimated time of 1300 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-12 airplane, N2899M, was destroyed by impact and postimpact fire after colliding with tundra-covered terrain, about 13 miles north-northeast of Koliganek, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The commercial pilot, and the pilot-rated passenger, received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area. No flight plan was filed, nor was one required. The flight originated at the Iliamna Airport, Iliamna, Alaska, about 1030. After departure from the Iliamna Airport, a family friend reported that the pilot intended to fly to an area around Koliganek for the purpose of hunting Caribou, and then return to Iliamna the next day. The family friend added that prior to departing, the pilot packed three containers of additional fuel, totaling 15 gallons, in the airplane's baggage compartment, located behind the rear passenger's seat. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on September 7, a pilot that was flying close to the area where the accident occurred, said that on the day of the accident, he noticed a plume of smoke over the flat, tundra-covered terrain northeast of Koliganek. Upon closer examination, he located the accident airplane nose down in the tundra, fully engulfed in fire. The pilot said that he was eventually able to land close to the accident site, and hike to
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while on approach to land, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and an uncontrolled descent.
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Browse: Alaska · Piper 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.
