- Date
- December 22, 1989, 18:10 local (22:10 UTC)
- Place
- Beluga, AK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N302SCPiper PA-31
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19891222052869A
- Case key
- 5279
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain proper altitude. Darkness and adverse weather conditions were related factors.
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.
In flight collision with object
Light condition - dark nightFactor
Weather condition - low ceilingFactor
Weather condition - fogFactor
Weather condition - snowFactor
Flight into known adverse weather - continued
Ifr procedure - not followed
Object - tree(s)
Proper altitude - not maintainedCause
Aircraft
- Registration
- N302SC
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-8275004
- Airframe hours
- 9,266
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-11, 500 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Southcentral Air
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 13, 1989 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- ENA · Kenai, AK
- Destination
- BLG · Beluga, AK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BLG · Beluga, runway 18, 5,000 × 150 ft, gravel
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
- 29
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 40 in this make and model · 2,450 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ANC, 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.