Piper PA31 N88TG
18 April 2020 · Buckland, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 April 2020 at about 22:30 local time, a Piper PA31 registered N88TG was involved in an accident near Buckland, 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 22:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Buckland, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Candle 2 (AK75)
- Coordinates
- 65.9078, -161.9264
- Aircraft
- Piper PA31
- Registration
- N88TG
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1984
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fairbanks → Buckland
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC20CA044
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear before landing due to distraction by the condition of the runway and his failure to use the Before Landing checklist.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, due to weather in the local area, he chose to conduct a straight-in landing approach rather than overfly the runway. After slowing the airspeed, he selected 15° of flaps, moved the landing gear down, and then selected full flaps. After landing, he realized that the landing gear were not extended, so he checked the landing gear handle and saw that it was in the neutral position and that no landing gear indicator lights were illuminated. The pilot reported that, when he moved the landing gear handle, he must have failed to place it in the full-down position; he added that he was distracted by standing water on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation and added that the accident might have been prevented if he had followed the Before Landing checklist and not allowed the distractions and deviation from routine to alter his normal procedures.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Feb 2020 | Piper PA31 | Guaymaral, Colombia | Aero Taxi Guaymaral ATG S.A.S. | Fatal | 4 |
| 12 Jan 2020 | Piper PA31 | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | Hageland Aviation Services | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2020 | Piper PA31 | Sumter, South Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 2020 | Piper PA31 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | Island Air Charters | No injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 2019 | Piper PA31 | Madeira, Ohio, United States | MARC, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Mar 2019 | Piper PA31 | Leesburg, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Aug 2020 | Piper PA 20 | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Feb 2020 | Cessna 172 | Palmer, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 2020 | Cessna 208 | Hooper Bay, Alaska, United States | Grant Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 31 Dec 2020 | Cessna 172R | Hope, Alaska, United States | Elmendorf Air Force Base Aero Club | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 May 2020 | Grumman G44 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 2020 | Beechcraft A36 | Chignik Lagoon, Alaska, United States | Lake Clark Air, Inc. | No injuries | - |