- Date
- August 2, 2022, 14:40 local (22:40 UTC)
- Place
- Port Alsworth, AK · Wilder Airport, Port Alsworth
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N317AKPiper PA31
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220802013939A
- Case key
- 105716
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
A hard landing that occurred at an unknown time and date, which resulted in substantial damage.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot performed a preflight inspection and departed to his destination. He stated that after a normal approach the left wing “dipped” at touchdown. The airplane subsequently “landed hard” on the left side. After the landing, the pilot shutdown the airplane and requested a company mechanic to inspect the landing gear. A visual examination of the landing gear was performed, but no damage was found. Subsequent examination of the airplane conducted three days later, revealed substantial damage to the fuselage, and left wing consistent with a hard landing. The airplane is also used for training, and it could not be determined if the airplane was flown after the hard landing. The pilot at the time of the hard landing, and the date and time of occurrence was undetermined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N317AK
- Reported as
- Piper PA31 (350)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7752145
- Engine
- Lycoming, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PAMR · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- PALJ · Port Alsworth, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- 05K · Port Alsworth Airport, runway 24/6, 3,000 × 50 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 3,500 in this make and model · 19,800 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 120 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 8 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 3001.00 inHg
- METAR
- METAR PALJ 022052Z 25007KT 15SM SCT010 BKN020 OVC040 13/11 A3001 RMK EST PASS CLSD NOSPECI=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 23, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.