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ANC24LA097

2024-09-13 · Lime Village, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N691E

Make / Model
STINSON 108-3
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19990223
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A92ED1

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing in tree-covered terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that after departure in a float-equipped airplane from a remote lake, and as the airplane climbed to about 150 ft above ground level, all engine power was lost. The pilot switched the fuel selector to the reserve tank. The engine momentarily regain power but after about 15 seconds the engine again lost all power. The pilot conducted a forced landing into tree-covered terrain, during which both wings and the empennage sustained substantial damage. The pilot’s postaccident examination revealed the reserve fuel tank was leaking fuel, and the fuel tanks contained no usable fuel. After the accident, the pilot reported he was trying to fly with minimum fuel to conserve weight, and he could have had more fuel onboard. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Misc hardware-(general)-Fluid level
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_ANC24LA097.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

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