Piper PA-31-350 N496SC
23 December 1987 · Kenai, Alaska, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 23 December 1987 at about 10:11 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N496SC was involved in an accident near Kenai, Alaska, United States. 10 people were on board and 6 died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 10:11
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Kenai, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Kenai Muni (EMA)
- Coordinates
- 60.6599, -150.9006
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350
- Registration
- N496SC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Anchorage
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- DCA88MA011
People
6 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT HAD JUST DEPARTED THE RUNWAY WHEN HE REPORTED TO THE FLIGHT SERVICE STATION THAT HE HAD ENGINE PROBLEMS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED BY WITNESSES TO BE ABOUT 300 FT ON A DESCENDING DOWNWIND. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS CIRCLING FOR RUNWAY ONE. SURVIVING PASSENGERS DESCRIBED THE ENGINES AS RUNNING ROUGH AND UNEVEN. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT'S WEIGHT WAS MORE THAN THE PILOT HAD CALCULATED AND THE C.G. WAS 3.4 INCHES FURTHER AFT THAN WAS CALCULATED. HOWEVER, THE WEIGHT AND C.G. WERE WITHIN LIMITS.EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE DISCLOSED THAT THE RIGHT ENGINE HAD AN EXTENSIVE CYLINDER HEAD CRACK, A PARTIALLY DISCONNECTED INTAKE PIPE, AND WAS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 55% OF RATED POWER. THE LEFT ENGINE HAD SEVEN SEVERLY WORN CAM LOBES. THE RUDDER TRIM WAS DEFLECTED FULL LEFT AT IMPACT. THE EVIDENCEINDICATED THAT THE PILOT HAD RETARDED THE THROTTLE FOR THE LEFT ENGINE AND WAS USING ONLY THE RIGHT ENGINE TO SUSTAIN FLIGHT. EXAM OF COMPANY CHECKLIST USAGE REVEALED SEVERAL DIFFERENT IMPROPER VERSIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Feb 1987 | Piper PA-31 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Western Aviators | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 1987 | Piper PA-31-350 | Independence, Missouri, United States | - | Fatal | 6 |
| 19 Mar 1987 | Piper PA-31-350 | Missoula, Montana, United States | Bighorn Airways, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 1987 | Piper PA-31-350 | Maunaloa, Hawaii, United States | Panorama Air Tours | Fatal | 8 |
| 11 Nov 1987 | Piper PA-31-310 | West Palm Beach, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 1987 | Piper PA-31-350 | Demopolis, Alabama, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Sep 1987 | Piper PA-18 | Gold King, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1987 | Taylorcraft F-19 | Kuskatan River, Alaska, United States | RAY Tressler | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1987 | Aeronca 7AC | Island Lake, Alaska, United States | Ronald L. Williams | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Sep 1987 | Champion 7ECA | Salcha, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1987 | Piper PA-18-150 | Stoney River, Alaska, United States | William J. Dunbar | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 1987 | Piper PA-18A | Windy Ridge, Alaska, United States | Larry W. Hedgpeth | Serious injuries | - |