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ANC88LA049

1988-04-23 · KENAI, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 8AK8

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS PRACTICING SIMULATED INSTRUMENT FLIGHT WITH HIS FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR IN THEIR MUTUALLY-OWNED AIRPLANE, WHEN BOTH ENGINES QUIT WITHIN MINUTES OF EACH OTHER DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES IN THE ENSUING EMERGENCY DESCENT PRIOR TO REACHING THE SELECTED LANDING AREA AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. NEITHER OF THE PILOTS WERE INJURED. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR HAD CONDUCTED THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION, AND HAD VISUALLY INSPECTED THE FUEL TANKS PRIOR TO THE START OF THE FLIGHT, AND ALTHOUGH THE TANKS WERE LESS THAN FULL, HE FELT THAT A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY REMAINED FOR THE INTENDED FLIGHT. BOTH PILOTS SAID THAT THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED ONE-QUARTER FULL WHEN THE ENGINES STOPPED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1988_ANC88LA049.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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