- Date
- September 21, 2007, 11:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chenega Bay, AK
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3948WPiper PA-32
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20070921021269A
- Case key
- 66760
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a collision with a ditch during the landing roll. A factor associated with the accident was the ditch.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The private certificated pilot was landing toward the south on a remote airstrip at the conclusion of a Title 14, CFR Part 91, cross-country personal flight. The gravel surface airstrip was about 1,000 feet long and about 50 feet wide. The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the left main landing gear struck a ditch that extended about 20 feet into the runway area. The left main landing gear was torn off, and the airplane slid into an area of trees. The airplane received structural damage to the wings and fuselage.
Factual narrative
The private certificated pilot was landing toward the south on a remote airstrip at the conclusion of a Title 14, CFR Part 91, cross-country personal flight. The gravel surface airstrip was about 1,000 feet long and about 50 feet wide. The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the left main landing gear struck a ditch that extended about 20 feet into the runway area. The left main landing gear was torn off, and the airplane slid into an area of trees. The airplane received structural damage to the wings and fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3948W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-934
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James L. Lawler
- Registered owner
- Monty Lawler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PASX · Soldotna, AK
- Destination
- Chenega Bay, AK
- Airport
- runway 18, 1,000 × 50 ft, gravel
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 9,904 total · 1,700 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.