Piper PA-31-350 N27231
10 October 2009 · Nondalton, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 October 2009 at about 19:05 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N27231, operated by Lake Clark Air Inc, was involved in an accident near Nondalton, Alaska, United States. One person was 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 19:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Nondalton, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Nondalton Airport (5NN)
- Coordinates
- 59.9800, -154.8392
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350
- Registration
- N27231
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Lake Clark Air Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Iliamna → Nondalton
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC10CA002
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to attempt a landing in weather conducive to strong downdrafts, resulting in a loss of control.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The solo airline transport pilot reported that he was landing on a gravel-covered airstrip, at the conclusion of a Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. He reported that while on final approach, the airplane "encountered a sinker" and it began to descend below his anticipated approach path. He added full engine power to stop the descent, but the airplane continued to descend, and it landed hard on the right side of the runway. During touchdown, the airplane’s landing gear collapsed, and it continued to slide for about 150 yards, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. A weather reporting station 14 miles south of the accident site reported wind from 110 degrees at 24 knots, gusting to 35 knots 12 minutes before the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Mar 2009 | Piper PA-31-350 | Buckland, Alaska, United States | Frontier Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 2 Apr 2009 | Piper PA-31-325 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Emersums LLC | No injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 2009 | Piper PA-31-350 | Nome, Alaska, United States | Frontier Flying Service | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 2008 | Piper PA-31-350 | Kodiak, Alaska, United States | Servant Air, Inc. | Fatal | 6 |
| 20 Mar 2008 | Piper PA-31-350 | Portland, Oregon, United States | Ameriflight LLC | No injuries | - |
| 14 Oct 2008 | Piper PA-31-350 | Portland, Oregon, United States | Ameriflight, Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jun 2009 | Beechcraft V35A | Northway, Alaska, United States | Patigler Gerhard | Fatal | 2 |
| 11 Jul 2009 | Noorduyn UC-64A | Akiachak, Alaska, United States | Renfro Michael W | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 2009 | Beechcraft G18S | Yakutat, Alaska, United States | Munich Hans W | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 2009 | Cessna A185F | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | Frank R. Bell | No injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 2009 | De Havilland DHC-2 | King Salmon, Alaska, United States | Katmai Air Leasing LLC | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 2009 | Harden RV-7 | Elim, Alaska, United States | Harden Bruce D R | Fatal | 2 |