- Date
- August 5, 2024, 11:58 local (19:58 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK · PAFA
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9FWPiper PA31
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Dragged wing/rotor/float/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 194845
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 continuation of an unstabilized approach and his failure to monitor the aircraft's altitude and airspeed during the approach, resulting in a loss of control.
Findings · 4
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 pilot reported that, after entering the traffic pattern before landing, the local tower controller asked him if he could accept a short approach to the arriving runway to accommodate other arriving traffic, and the pilot accepted. As the pilot maneuvered the airplane from the base leg to final approach, he allowed the airplane to descend below the intended glidepath, and he inadvertently allowed the airplanes airspeed to decay. As the airplane passed over the runway threshold, it rolled to the left, and the left wing struck the runway. The pilot momentarily aborted the landing but landed the airplane on a gravel covered airstrip, which was straight ahead and a short distance away. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9FW
- Reported as
- Piper PA31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7405468
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 21,863
- Engines
- Lycoming LTIO 540, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming LTIO 540, 350 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Warbelows Air Ventures
- Registered owner
- Wright Air Service, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 30, 2024
- Departed
- PACX · Coldfoot, AK
- Destination
- PAFA · Fairbanks, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PAFA · Fairbanks International Airport, runway 02R, 4,510 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, 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
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 19, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 800 total · 340 as pilot in command · 123 in the last 90 days · 66 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 22,000 ft
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- PAFA, 1 nm away
- METAR
- PAFA 050853Z 00000KT 10SM SCT140 BKN220 16/13 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP156 T01610128 402500083 53001 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 8, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB in all.
Other investigations on N9FW · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.