Piper PA-32-300 N1132Q

Summary

On 2 July 2023 at about 23:10 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N1132Q, operated by Vertigo Air Taxi, was involved in an accident near Old Harbor, Alaska, United States. 5 people were on board and 2 died, 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 July 2023 at 23:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Old Harbor, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

57.2410, -153.1798

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N1132Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Vertigo Air Taxi

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Old Harbor → Kodiak

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC23FA045

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from rising terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s delayed decision to turn away from the terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed with four passengers and cargo on the air taxi flight up a valley toward an area of rising terrain. The pilot reported that, during the six-minute flight, the airplane's rate of climb was 500 feet per minute and the engine power setting was 2,500 rpm with 25 inches of manifold pressure. Upon realizing that the airplane would not clear the terrain ahead, the pilot maneuvered the airplane to the right side of the confined valley in order to make a 180° left turn; however, the airplane subsequently stopped climbing and impacted terrain. The departure airport elevation was 55 ft mean sea level (msl) and the elevation of the accident site was 750 ft msl. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation; the pilot reported there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The pilot reported that the airplane’s gross weight at takeoff was about 50 lbs under its maximum gross weight and the investigation independently estimated that it was about 110 pounds below the maximum gross takeoff weight. A pilot in another airplane loaded similarly to the accident airplane departed about two minutes before the accident airplane on the same route of flight and reported that the weather was “great” and that he had no performance issues climbing through the mountain pass. Based on the available information, the pilot failed to maintain clearance from rising terrain. It is likely that his delayed decision to turn away from the rising terrain when he realized that the airplane’s climb performance was insufficient contributed to the impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.