Piper PA-31-350 N200AK
2 October 1991 · Fairbanks, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 2 October 1991 at about 21:20 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N200AK, operated by Frontier Flying Service Inc., was involved in an incident near Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:20
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 64.8105, -147.7200
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350
- Registration
- N200AK
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Frontier Flying Service Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fairbanks → Coldfoot
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC92IA001
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Probable cause
INCORRECT INSTALLATION OF CRANKSHAFT COUNTERWWEIGHT ROLLERS BY THE MANUFACTURER DURING REMANUFACTURE OF THE ENGINE. FACTOR WAS THE INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE OF THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY PROCESS BY THE MANUFACTURER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING CRUISE FLIGHT, THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER AND OIL PRESSURE. AN ENGINE TEARDOWN ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT COUNTERWEIGHTS HAD TWO INCORRECT OF THE FOUR INSTALLED ROLLERS. ALL FOUR ROLLERS WERE PART NO. 73648. ACCORDING TO TEXTRON LYCOMING, THE CORRECT ROLLER CONFIGURATION SHOULD HAVE BEEN 'TWO PART NO. 73648 5.1 ORDER AND TWO PART NO. 76788 6.3 ORDER ROLLERS.' AS CONFIGURED, THE ENGINE WOULD EXPERIENCE UNACCEPTABLE 6TH ORDER TORSIONAL VIBRATIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-31-350 | Orlando, Florida, United States | Top Flight Air Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-31-B-310 | Fernandina Bch, Florida, United States | Island Aviation Services, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 1991 | Piper PA-31-350 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Alpine Air, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Aug 1991 | Piper PA-31-310 | Byron, California, United States | Ricardo Barbera | No injuries | - |
| 7 Feb 1991 | Piper PA-31-350 | Munford, Alabama, United States | MacOn Horizons, Inc | Fatal | 4 |
| 15 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-31-350 | Nome, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mar 1991 | Piper PA-20 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Hickok, Bruce D. | No injuries | - |
| 22 May 1991 | David K Maxwell MAX-1 | Sutton, Alaska, United States | Stanley R. Dapkus | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 1991 | Cessna 172G | Wasilla, Alaska, United States | Larry M. Driskill | No injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 1991 | Champion 7EC | Eagle River, Alaska, United States | Robert C. Bischoff | No injuries | - |
| 29 Mar 1991 | Cessna 206 | Homer, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 9 Apr 1991 | Piper PA-18-150 | Tatitlek, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |