Piper PA-31-350 N15PR

Summary

On 16 February 2013 at about 21:15 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N15PR, operated by Grant Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 February 2013 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Unalaska (PADU)

Coordinates

53.8928, -166.5403

Aircraft

Piper PA-31-350

Registration

N15PR

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Grant Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Akutan → Dutch Harbor

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC13CA023

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to land in wind conditions that exceeded the airplane's demonstrated crosswind capability, which resulted in a loss of airplane control during the landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight in a twin-engine airplane with two passengers aboard. He reported that during the flight the weather began changing and he arrived at the destination airport in unforecast deteriorating weather conditions. Unable to circle to land into the wind, the pilot elected to land on runway 12 with a gusting quartering right tailwind. During the landing roll, a wind gust pushed the nose of the airplane to the right, and the airplane began to slide momentarily on an icy patch on the runway. While sliding sideways, the left main landing gear contacted bare pavement, which resulted in the collapse of the left main landing gear. As a result, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The wind at the airport before landing was reported to be out of 339 degrees at 26 knots, with gusts to 35 knots. According to the pilot operating handbook for the accident airplane, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component for the airplane is 20 knots, and a plot of the current wind conditions at the time of the accident showed that the crosswind component for the accident landing was 30 knots, 10 knots above the maximum demonstrated component. No preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation were reported.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.