Piper PA-31-T3 N218CS
7 April 1997 · Stebbins, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 April 1997 at about 23:06 local time, a Piper PA-31-T3 registered N218CS was involved in an accident near Stebbins, Alaska, United States. 7 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:06
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Stebbins, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Stebbins (WBB)
- Coordinates
- 63.4695, -162.2792
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-T3
- Registration
- N218CS
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Nome → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC97LA048
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue VFR into IMC. Factors associated with the accident are fog/obscuration, and the pilot's failure to initiate a go-around earlier in the approach.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was landing at a remote village site. Reported weather was approximately 3/8 of a mile at the time of the accident. The pilot estimated the in-flight visibility as 1.5 miles, and said although much of the runway was shrouded in fog and mist, he could see the approach end of runway 05. While on a base leg to runway 05, he said he was in too close to the runway, and elected to do a tight 'S' turn to gain additional spacing. As he turned to final, he reduced engine power to idle. He subsequently realized he was too low and too slow, heard the stall warning horn, and quickly added full power. The airplane rolled to the right, and struck the runway with the right wing.
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 | - |
| 15 Mar 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Kotzebue, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Apr 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Pacific Ocean | Pilot Services Intl | 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 | - |