A preliminary report released this week by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates the fuel gauges dropped to zero before a plane carrying four Haines residents crash-landed in Lynn Canal on Nov. 4.
Pilot Mike Mackowiak, his wife Martha, son Nik and family friend Victoria Hansen survived the accident.
According to the report, Mike Mackowiak said he added 38 gallons of fuel to the airplane in Haines before departing for Juneau. “He estimated his normal fuel burn between 10 and 12 gallons per hour, and the flight (from Haines) to Juneau was uneventful,” the report said.
Prior to departing Juneau around 1:15 p.m., Mackowiak walked around the plane to inspect it and didn’t notice any anomalies. When the plane’s Continental Motors O-470 series engine started, the fuel gauges read between 3/4 and 7/8 full, Mackowiak told an NTSB investigator.
After departing Juneau and passing Eagle Beach, Mackowiak noted both fuel gauges read zero. He checked the circuit breakers were closed, and the engine continued to run normally.
When Mackowiak rose to 2,500 feet, the right gauge changed and indicated between 1/4 and 3/8 full.
“Convinced of an electrical malfunction, the flight continued towards Haines. Shortly thereafter, the engine lost all power,” the report said.
Mackowiak tried to restart the plane but was unsuccessful. He pumped the engine primer to inject fuel directly into the cylinders, and propeller speed would increase, but the engine would not fully start, the report said.
Another passenger on the plane told NTSB investigators while in cruise flight, as the airplane passed the Kensington Mine, they felt a drop similar to turbulence in conjunction with a change in engine noise, and then the engine speed began to decrease.
Mackowiak said in an interview Wednesday he bought the plane in May, and flew it in Washington before and after the purchase. He flew it north to Alaska, touring the Interior and the Wrangell/St. Elias Mountains. He returned to Haines in August via the coast through Yakutat and Icy Straits.
According to the NTSB report, a detailed wreckage and engine exam is pending recovery of the airplane.
The water depth at the location of the accident is estimated between 600 and 780 feet.
According to the NTBS website, the final report of accident investigations is adopted by a five-member Safety Board in a public meeting held in Washington, D.C.