- Date
- April 4, 1992, 09:36 local (13:36 UTC)
- Place
- Kotzebue, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3555CPiper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920404008929A
- Case key
- 5710
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
Pilot factor in that the proper glidepath and altitude was not maintained. Factors to the accident were: inattentiveness and snow.
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
During the IFR approach to the airport, the flight had been cleared for the ils/dme for runway 8. The pilot performed the published procedure turn and was established on the localizer and glide slope at about 5.5 miles DME. The flight continued the descent as the pilot completed the before landing checklist. At about 5 miles DME, the pilot attempted to call the fss to report final approach fix inbound, however, he had to wait for another airplane transmitting. The pilot then contacted the fss and reported 4.5 miles DME. Shortly after the radio call, the pilot felt the airplane contact the ground. The pilot reported that his last instrument scan that he could remember showed that he was on the glide path and localizer at an altitude of 1,250 feet. After the accident, the pilot reported that the visibility was about 100 yards and blowing snow.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3555C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-8052058
- Airframe hours
- 3,989
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Frontier Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Poineer Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · April 3, 1992 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- FAI · Fairbanks, AK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- OTZ · Kotzebue, runway 8, 5,900 × 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
- 35
- 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
- Flight hours
- 8,367 total · 4,823 in this make and model · 8,076 as pilot in command · 285 in the last 90 days · 98 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 14 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OTZ, 4 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.