- Date
- May 14, 1985, 11:03 local (19:03 UTC)
- Place
- Naknek, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4080WPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19850514017049A
- Case key
- 4494
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
While cruising at about 2000 ft, the top eng cowling came off, rupturing an eng oil line & breaking a hole in the left side of the windshield. Oil then covered the windshield. Due to the loss of oil, the plt shut down the eng & landed on a beach. During the landing on soft terrain, the nose gear collapsed. The plt suspected that the right front cowling latch had failed. He stated that it had heen replaced about 10 flt hrs prior to the accident. He further stated that he had conducted a thorough preflt & all fasteners were secured prior to the flt. However, the condition of the fastener could not be determined since the cowling was not recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4080W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 40125
- Airframe hours
- 4,478
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Daniel J. O'Hara
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 3, 1984 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- WSN · Naknek, AK
- Destination
- DLG · Dillingham, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,915 total · 7,900 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AKN, 25 nm away
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 N4080W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.