- Date
- February 10, 2023, 17:00 local (Feb 11, 2023, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Tok, AK · Approach end of runway 07
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N44782Piper PA-32-260
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing area undershoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230210001759A
- Case key
- 106730
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper approach glide path, which resulted in a hard landing, short of his anticipated touchdown point.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during a landing attempt, the airplane descended below glide path and landed short of the runway. The airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage to the firewall and engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44782
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7500002
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 9,968.9
- Engine
- Lycoming o-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 9, 2023 · 0 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- TKJ · Tok Junction, runway 07, 2,509 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 2, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,200 total · 250 in this make and model · 1,140 as pilot in command · 40.7 in the last 90 days · 32.8 in the last 30 days · 3.3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 3 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.46 inHg
- Observed at
- PAOR, 35 nm away
- METAR
- PAOR 110153Z 00000KT 10SM BKN100 M16/M18 A2946 RMK AO2 SLP043 T11561178
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 6, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 20.3 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.