- Date
- January 10, 2025, 12:55 local (21:55 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Injuries
- 9 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N59826Piper PA-31-350
- Defining event
- Taxi: Ground collision
- 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 - FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250110000059A
- Case key
- 199529
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 failure to recognize that an automated taxiway gate was closing, and the pilot’s failure stop for the closing gate.
Findings · 6
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, while taxiing through an automated airport taxiway gate, the gate closed on the airplane which resulted in substantial damage to the right aileron. An airport surveillance video showed the airport taxiway gate closing, with warning lights that indicated a moving gate illuminated, and the accident airplane continuing to taxi towards the closing gate. The accident airplane then impacts the closing gate with its right wingtip and left wing leading edge. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N59826
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7652077
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 22,922.5
- Engines
- Lycoming LTIO-540-J2B, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TIO-540-J2B, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Warbelows Air Ventures Inc
- Registered owner
- Warbelows Air Ventures Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- CXF · Coldfoot, AK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FAI · Fairbanks International Airport
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 17, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 12,034 total · 7,017 in this make and model · 10,503 as pilot in command · 81 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 22,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 14 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.57 inHg
- Observed at
- PAFA, 1 nm away
- METAR
- PAFA 102153Z 35005KT 10SM FEW018 SCT075 BKN220 M10/M13 A2957 RMK AO2 SLP024 T11001133 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 12, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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.