NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC89FA143
Registry · N5417H
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-19
Year of manufacture
1949 · 40 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES (95 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19551221
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A6DEF8
Registrant of record
CTC LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
OPERATION WITH A KNOWN DEFICIENCY IN THE AIRCRAFT AND WATER CONTAMINATION OF THE FUEL DUE TO INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PREPARATION BY THE PILOT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING AND TREE(S).
Factual narrative
THE PLT RPRTD THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENG BGN TO LOSE PWR. HE WAS UNABLE TO RETURN TO THE SEAPLANE BASE OR FINDANOTHER SUITABLE LNDG SITE. WHEN HE ATMTD TO LND ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, THE ACFT HIT A TREE, THEN CRASHED, HITTING APOSTBOX & FENCE. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES THAT WOULD HAVE PRECLUDED NML FLT. THE CARBURETORWAS DISASSEMBLED & WAS FOUND TO CONTAIN MORE THAN 1/4 INCH OF WATER. THE PLT STATED THAT HE HAD EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSSOF POWER APRX 2 WEEKS EARLIER, BUT MADE A SUCCESSFUL FORCED LANDING. HE DRAINED A LARGE QUANTITY OF WATER FROM THE RIGHTFUEL TANK (AS BEST HE COULD), BUT DECIDED TO OPERATE THE ACFT BY JUST USING THE LEFT FUEL TANK. HE SAID THAT HE USED THELEFT TANK FOR TAKEOFF ON THE ACDNT FLT, BUT AFTER THE OCCURRENCE, HE WAS CONCERNED THAT WATER FROM THE RIGHT TANK MAYHAVE CONTAMINATED THE REST OF THE FUEL SYSTEM. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_ANC89FA143.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.