- Date
- June 9, 1990, 09:21 local (17:21 UTC)
- Place
- Bethel, AK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4257TPiper PA-32
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19900609019249A
- Case key
- 5295
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 pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during an emergency landing following an engine power loss. The loss of engine power was due to an improper fuel selector position which resulted in fuel starvation. A contributing factor was the pilot's decision to turn and attempt to return to the airport.
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
Immediately after departure the pilot declared an emergency, and the aircraft was observed turning right, back toward the airport, and losing altitude. The aircraft crashed 1/4 mile se of the departure end of runway 18. The on-scene investigation showed that the fuel selector position appeared to be off or on the left tip tank. There was still movement on the selector to the left, indicating it may have been on the left tip tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4257T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 327240035
- Airframe hours
- 4,624
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1B5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Cami Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 27, 1990 · 38 hours before
- Destination
- AQH · Quinhagak, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- BET · Bethel, runway 18, 6,399 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,125 total · 165 in this make and model · 1,060 as pilot in command · 165 in the last 90 days · 105 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BET, 1 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 N4257T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.