- Date
- May 5, 1986, 02:45 local (10:45 UTC)
- Place
- Atmautluak, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4246TPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19860505016239A
- Case key
- 4660
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
The air taxi pilot planned six hours of night flying with a five minute fuel reserve at his destination. When he saw that he would be unable to reach the destination, he diverted toward atmautlauk. However, the acft ran out of fuel as the plt was maneuvering with his landing light on to find the rwy. Subsequently, the acft was damaged during a forced landing at night.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4246T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7240043
- Airframe hours
- 6,003
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Dennis L. Gunder
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 11, 1986 · 98 hours before
- Departed
- AK10 · Pilot Station, AK
- Destination
- BET · Bethel, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- 08AK · Atmautlauk
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 800 in this make and model · 313 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 170° at 12 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N4246T · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.