Piper PA-32-301 N81052

Summary

On 15 April 2011 at about 01:55 local time, a Piper PA-32-301 registered N81052, operated by Peninsula Airways Inc, was involved in an accident near Cold Bay, 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.

Date

15 April 2011 at 01:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Cold Bay, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

55.7333, -162.9833

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-301

Registration

N81052

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Peninsula Airways Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

False Pass → Cold Bay

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC11LA027

Nobody was injured.

An in-flight encounter with unforecast turbulence, which resulted in structural damage to the stabilator.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while descending toward his destination, the airplane encountered severe turbulence of short duration. After the turbulence passed, he made an uneventful landing at his destination airport. A postaccident examination of the airplane discovered substantial damage to the stabilator. The wind at the destination airport was reported as 310 degrees at 9 knots, the area forecast valid at the time of the turbulence encounter forecast no significant turbulence, and there were no pilot reports of turbulence. The pilot indicated that prior to the severe turbulence; there had been no significant turbulence during the flight. An examination of the stabilator showed that the right half was bent downward 5 to 10 degrees outboard of the fuselage attachments. No evidence of fatigue or corrosion was found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.