# Incident 19970316003159I: Piper PA31350, Kotzebue, AK, March 16, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 16, 1997, 19:57 local time
- Place: Kotzebue, AK
- Airport: Wein Mem
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: CSAA
- Location: 66.8868° N, 162.4917° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Kotzebue, AK, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=66.8868&lon=-162.4917&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3542H, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3542H-2001-09-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-31-350 (registry code 7103110, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-350) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA31350
- Reported engine: LYC TIO540J2BD
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 7,900 total, 700 in this make and model, 270 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970316003159I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: AIRCRAFT WAS ENROUTE FROM KIANA, ALASKA TO KOTZEBOE, ALASKA. AFTER ENCOUNTERING TURBULENCE THE LANDING GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT CAME ON. THE PILOT SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT AND SELECTED GEAR DOWN. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR DID NOT EXTEND. LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED FOR LANDING AT KOTZEBOE. INSPECTION REVEALED THE FORWARD HINGE FOR THE LEFT INBOARD GEAR DOOR WAS BROKEN. AFTER THE GEAR DOOR WAS REMOVED THE LANDING GEAR CYCLED NORMALLY..

## Other reports on N3542H (3)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19981203039789A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981203039789A), Dec 3, 1998: Piper PA31350 (N3542H), Point Lay, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) On December 3, 1998 a cape smythe aircraft, N3542H, collided with terrain while attempting an NDB runway 5 approach into pt. Lay, Alaska. The pilot, Mr.…
- [Incident 19911203059559I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19911203059559I), Dec 3, 1991: Piper PA31350 (N3542H), Nome, AK, Minor damage. NR5 cylinder separated from engine on descent. Landed safely.
- [Incident 19791217046459I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19791217046459I), Dec 17, 1979: Piper PA31350 (N3542H), Salt Lake City, UT. Pilot's door came open in flight due to faulty latches. Pilot landed, latched it, took off.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.