Piper PA-32-300 N8698N

Summary

On 14 July 1998 at about 18:30 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N8698N, operated by Bellair, Inc., was involved in an accident near Nenana, Alaska, United States. 2 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.

Date

14 July 1998 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Nenana, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Nenana Municipal (ENN)

Coordinates

64.4692, -148.5700

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N8698N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Bellair, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fairbanks → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC98LA097

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the FAA Flight Service Station specialist to issue an active Notice to Airmen that noted a hazardous condition on the runway. Factors associated with the accident are the rough and uneven runway, and inadequate runway maintenance by airport personnel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial air taxi pilot-in-command (PIC) was taking a routine competency flight check from an FAA inspector. The FAA inspector asked the PIC to perform a landing on a turf runway, and to stop short of a designated spot on the field. The pilot made an uneventful landing, but was unable to stop the airplane prior to the designated spot. The airplane continued to roll on the turf runway, but soon encountered a large, unseen, hole about midfield. The nosewheel entered the hole, and the nose landing gear subsequently collapsed. The PIC reported he had received a standard weather briefing via telephone from an FAA Flight Service Station specialist just prior to the flight, but had received no information about the hole in the middle of the runway. A review of the Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) disclosed an active NOTAM regarding a 24 inch deep, by 6 feet wide hole, midfield of the runway the PIC landed on. This NOTAM was not given to the PIC during his weather briefing as required by the FAA Air Traffic Control procedures manual.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.