Piper PA-32 N4075W
15 August 1991 · Gustavus, Alaska, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 15 August 1991 at about 03:00 local time, a Piper PA-32 registered N4075W, operated by Haines Airways, was involved in an accident near Gustavus, Alaska, United States. 6 people were on board and 6 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 03:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Gustavus, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 58.4193, -135.7792
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32
- Registration
- N4075W
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Haines Airways
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Gustavus → Haines
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA91FA207
People
6 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE AND/OR CLEARANCE FROM MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AFTER DEPARTING THE GUSTAVUS ARPT, THE PLT TURNED THE ACFT TOWARD EXCURSION INLET & AIR-FILED A VFR FLT PLAN. AFTER THE FLT PLAN WAS FILED, THERE WERE NO FURTHER RADIO TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE ACFT. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED, BUT HVY FOG, CLOUDS & DARKNESS HAMPERED THE SEARCH. WRECKAGE WAS FOUND THE NEXT MORNING, WHERE THE ACFT HAD CRASHED ON STEEP RISING TERRAIN IN A BOX CANYON AREA. IMPACT OCCURRED AT THE END OF A VALLEY THAT BEGAN NEAR EXCURSION INLET. ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS APRX 4000 FT, TERRAIN IN THAT AREA ROSE TO ABOUT 4600 FT. TWO OTHER PILOTS THAT DEPARTED HAINES NEAR THE TIME OF THE ACDNT RPRTD THE CEILING WAS BROKEN TO OVERCAST AT ABOUT 4000 FT. RPRTDLY, THE MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE OBSCURED, BUT THE VISIBILITY BELOW THE CLOUDS WAS ABOUT 20 MI. THE PROP BLADES WERE FOUND WITH DEEP CHORDWISE SCARS & LEADING EDGE/ROTATIONAL DAMAGE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-32-300 | Reno, Nevada, United States | Joseph Pastuszek | No injuries | - |
| 24 May 1991 | Piper PA-32-300 | St. Charles, Missouri, United States | WEB Associate Electronic | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 1991 | Piper PA-32-301 | Montauk, New York, United States | Three Wing Flying Service, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 May 1991 | Piper PA-32-300 | Clearwater, Florida, United States | Tropicair Pilot's Club | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1991 | Piper PA 32-300 | Anaheim, California, United States | Ameriflight | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Apr 1991 | Piper PA-32-301 | Eek, Alaska, United States | Kusko Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
All 1,695 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mar 1991 | Piper PA-20 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Hickok, Bruce D. | No injuries | - |
| 22 May 1991 | David K Maxwell MAX-1 | Sutton, Alaska, United States | Stanley R. Dapkus | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 1991 | Cessna 172G | Wasilla, Alaska, United States | Larry M. Driskill | No injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 1991 | Champion 7EC | Eagle River, Alaska, United States | Robert C. Bischoff | No injuries | - |
| 29 Mar 1991 | Cessna 206 | Homer, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 9 Apr 1991 | Piper PA-18-150 | Tatitlek, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |