- Date
- March 30, 1991, 21:31 local (Mar 31, 1991, 01:31 UTC)
- Place
- Kenai, AK
- Injuries
- 10 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N308SCPiper PA-31T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910330008219A
- Case key
- 5531
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 failed nose gear shimmy dampner, contributing to the accident was the rough ice and snow covered ramps where the airplane had been operating and the lack of maintenance on the runways.
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 pilot reported an unsafe nose gear light, following the after takeoff gear retraction. The pilot was unable to lower the nose gear and landed at the destination airport with it retracted. Investigation found that the nose gear shimmy dampner had failed and had become jammed in the wheel well when retracted. The failed shimmy dampner was blamed on the rough ice and snow covered ramps at the origin and destination airports.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N308SC
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31T-8275008
- Airframe hours
- 5,508
- Engine
- P&W PT-6A-11, 500 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- South Central Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- South Central Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 7, 1991 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- ANC · Anchorage, AK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ENA · Kenai, runway 1, 7,575 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Certificates
- Foreign, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,760 total · 167 in this make and model · 167 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 21 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ENA, 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.