NTSB ANC16CA058 — 2016-08-24 · Sterling, Alaska, United States

Current FAA registration · N35589

Make / Model: PIPER J5A
Engine: CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES (95 hp)
Seats / Engines: 3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19860620
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A3FAF2

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N35589 Piper J5A None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper fuel management, which led to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing on a road too narrow for the airplane.

Factual narrative

The pilot was returning from a local flight when he intentionally ran the right fuel tank dry. After switching fuel tanks, he attempted to restart the engine, but the attempt was unsuccessful. During an emergency landing on a narrow road, the right wing impacted brush and trees, causing the airplane to turn towards the right and resulted in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot was returning from a local flight when he intentionally ran the right fuel tank dry. After switching fuel tanks, he attempted to restart the engine, but the attempt was unsuccessful. During an emergency landing on a narrow road, the right wing impacted brush and trees, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management - C
C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
— Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Residence/building-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_ANC16CA058.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). All research papers