- Date
- February 17, 1990, 13:35 local (17:35 UTC)
- Place
- Cold Bay, AK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N27328Piper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19900217002249A
- Case key
- 5283
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Continued VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain adequate altitude (or clearance) from mountainous terrain. The adverse weather and terrain conditions were related factors.
Analysis
The scheduled flight's departure from king cove was delayed due to a passing snow squall. A witness at the airport stated that the weather at the airport was good when the flight departed; however, he noted dark clouds in the direction of Cold Bay, the intended destination of the flight. The airplane did not reach its destination. It was found, where it had impacted terrain near the top of a ridgeline at the 1250 foot level, between king cove & Cold Bay. About 8 miles west-northwest at Cold Bay, weather reports indicated there were snow showers of unknown intensity in all quadrants.
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
- N27328
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7752149
- Airframe hours
- 12,690
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Peninsula Airways
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 13, 1990 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- KVC · King Cove, AK
- Destination
- CDB · Cold Bay, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- KVC
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
- 43
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 9,487 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 9,031 as pilot in command · 211 in the last 90 days · 54 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CDB, 11 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.