Piper PA-31-350 N3542H
15 March 1997 · Kotzebue, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 March 1997 at about 23:57 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N3542H was involved in an incident near Kotzebue, Alaska, United States. 3 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 23:57
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Ralph Wien Memorial (PAOT)
- Coordinates
- 67.2396, -161.1901
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350
- Registration
- N3542H
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Kiana → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC97IA035
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
the jammed main landing gear which was caused by a binding main landing gear door with a broken hinge. The fractured, inadequate main landing gear door hinge was also causal.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane was landed with the landing gear retracted because the pilot was unable to lower the left main landing gear, although the nose gear and the right main landing gear would extend and lock properly. Postaccident inspection disclosed a fractured left main landing gear door hinge. The door hinge was the new, improved, version of an older hinge which had a history of cracking in the radius of the hinge. The hinge on the incident airplane was a replacement hinge mandated by an airworthiness directive. The replacement hinge also fractured in the radius. A review of Service Difficulty Reports disclosed at least eight other instances of cracks in the new hinge.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1997 | Piper PA-31-T3 | Tyonek, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Dec 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Walker Cay, Bahamas | Amelia Airways, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Denver, Colorado, United States | American Check Transport, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Hayden, Colorado, United States | Flight Line, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 Apr 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Pacific Ocean | Pilot Services Intl | No injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Nome, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-32-300 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Oct 1997 | Cessna 208B | Kasigluk, Alaska, United States | Peninsula Airways Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-22-160 | Sterling, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Cessna 182B | Palmer, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 1997 | Bell 206-B2 | Sutton, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-20 | Naknek, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |