Hefty Polar Cub accident near Anchorage, AK
On September 11, 2016, a Hefty Polar Cub (airplane) was involved in an accident near Anchorage, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 11, 2016
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Aircraft
- Hefty Polar Cub · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 61.125°N, 149.749°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160912X71238
Official records · ANC16FA065
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Radar Study: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Air Traffic Control Primary Radar File - Google Earth Format: Document (KML), on ntsb.gov
- Air Traffic Control - Primary Targets N62905: Document (CSV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 10, 2016, about 1630 Alaska daylight time, a float-equipped, experimental amateur-built, Hefty Polar Cub airplane, N62905, was destroyed following a loss of control and subsequent impact with tree-covered terrain in a residential neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a personal local flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight reportedly originated in southwest Anchorage from Jewell Lake about 1500, but the actual departure time and flight route are unknown. According to family and friends of the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to fly over a proposed hunting site near Willow, Alaska, and then return to Anchorage. The friend related that the pilot and a group of friends were planning a fly-in hunt later in the week. During on-scene interviews conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on the day of the accident, multiple witnesses consistently reported that they observed the airplane complete two, low-level, high-speed, 360° right turns over a residential neighborhood. The witnesses said that the airplane's first 360° turn was accomplished at an altitude between 150 and 200 ft above ground level, but the second turn was much lower. One homeowner stated that, as the airplane passed over his home, it was about 50 ft above his roofline. The witnesses also reported that the
Probable cause
The pilot's severe impairment from carbon monoxide poisoning in flight, which resulted in a loss of control and a subsequent collision with trees and terrain.
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Browse: Alaska
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
