Piper PA-32-300 N9304K

Summary

On 4 January 2011 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N9304K, operated by Alaska Island Air Inc, was involved in an accident near Platinum, Alaska, United States. 5 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 January 2011 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Platinum, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Platinum (PAPM)

Coordinates

59.0114, -161.8194

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N9304K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Alaska Island Air Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Good News → Platinum

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC11LA008

3 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's misidentification of the airport's active runway, resulting in an off-runway landing and collision with a ditch/berm.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he used the airplane’s radio to activate the runway lights, and flew over the airport and saw the windsock, but did not see the runway lights. He said the landing roll was smooth until the airplane came to a sudden stop when it struck a berm. The airplane received substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The airport manager said several people told him they saw the airplane fly over the field, lineup with the old (closed) runway, and land. The manager said the airport's newest runway, operational for about 2 years, is lighted, and that the end of the old runway had been incorporated into a parallel taxiway for the new runway. The rest of the old runway had been plowed up, and marked with a red "X". He said on the day of the accident the old runway was covered with snow. He stated that the lighted runway had about 1 inch of snow on it, and that the lights were on the highest intensity setting. He said the visibility was 10 miles under a 1,000 foot overcast, and the wind was calm. The airport manager said the airplane struck a ditch/berm where a portion of the old runway had been changed to an elevated taxiway for the new runway. The passenger seated on the left side of the airplane behind the pilot said she was familiar with the airport, and saw the lights of the lighted runway as they flew over.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.