- Date
- June 7, 1989, 20:46 local (Jun 8, 1989, 04:46 UTC)
- Place
- Skagway, AK
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7994FPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890607014539A
- Case key
- 41027
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 failure of the pilot to use proper inflight planning to identify wind conditions (downdrafts) during the flight. As a result, the pilot was unable to maintain altitude and the airplane collided with mountainous terrain.
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
While maneuvering in mountainous terrain, the airplane began losing altitude as it approached a pass. Unable to maintain altitude, the airplane was landed on a snow field. There were no reported mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7994F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7740017
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Skagway Air Service, doing business as Skagway Air Service
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- SGY · Skagway, AK
- Destination
- JNU · Juneau, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 24
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 640 total · 70 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 160 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.