- Date
- January 30, 1988, 11:25 local (15:25 UTC)
- Place
- Cold Bay, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N123TAPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19880130002349A
- Case key
- 4982
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The ATP certificated pilot in command departed on a solo, cargo-only air-taxi flight at 1104 a.k.s.t. for a destination 83SM to the n.e. the pilot was normally assigned to copilot duties on a multi-engined airplane, and was not familiar with the terrain he was flying over on this flight. The aircraft struck rising terrain approximately 40SM n.e. of the departure airport and was substantially damaged. The pilot says he does not recall the flight prior to the accident; he suffered minor injuries and was knocked unconscious during impact. Weather conditions at the crash site are unknown, but a pilot flying in the same general area shortly after the accident reported localized areas of fog and snow that reduced visibility to less than one-half mile. The pilot was recovered by coast guard search and rescue personnel approximately 24 hours after the accident.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N123TA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 327940120
- Airframe hours
- 4,121
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Peninsula Airways
- Registered owner
- Penninsula Airways
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 31, 1987 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- CDB · Cold Bay, AK
- Destination
- Z73 · Nelson Lagoon, AK
- Flight plan
- Company 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,725 total · 147 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 147 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Temperature
- 34 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.