- Date
- December 15, 2011, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hughes, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N9FWPiper PA-31-350
- Defining event
- Taxi: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 28, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA Fairbanks FSDO
- FAA report
- 20111215028159A
- Case key
- 82554
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 did not clear the area surrounding the airplane prior to taxi, resulting in the airplane contacting a piece of baggage.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The operator reported that, after loading the airplane, the pilot started to taxi, and the left engine's propeller struck a piece of baggage that was left on the ramp after a prior flight. The propeller picked up the baggage and threw it onto the upper left side of the fuselage, resulting in substantial damage.
Factual narrative
The operator reported that after loading the twin-engine airplane, the pilot had started to taxi, when the left engine's propeller struck a piece of baggage on the ramp. The propeller picked up the baggage and threw it onto the upper left side of the fuselage, resulting in substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9FW
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7405468
- Airframe hours
- 18,175
- Engines
- Lycoming LTIO-540 SER, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TIO-540 SER, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Wright Air Service Inc
- Registered owner
- Wright Air Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 17, 2011 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- FAI · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- HUS · Hughes, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- HUS · Hughes
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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 7, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 26,600 total · 7,000 in this make and model · 100 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 10, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9FW · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.