Piper PA-32R-300 N3609Q

Summary

On 24 June 2025 at about 17:34 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N3609Q was involved in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

24 June 2025 at 17:34

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Lake, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Big Lake Airport (BGQ)

Coordinates

61.5352, -149.8071

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N3609Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palmer → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC25LA055

2 people were seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On June 24, 2025, about 0934 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N3609Q, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. The pilot and flight instructor were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The airplane departed from the Palmer Municipal Airport (PAQ) at about 0900 on a training flight with about 60 gallons of fuel on board. A witness at the Big Lake Airport (BGQ) reported seeing the airplane over the trees on the south end of the runway. The airplane made a sharp left turn towards the runway impacting the ground just north of the runway. A first responder reported the pilot stated the airplane ran out of fuel. The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigator-in-charge’s on-scene wreckage examination revealed the right wing fuel tank contained about 22 gallons of fuel. The left-wing fuel tank connection was damaged from impact and no fuel was observed in the left wing. The available position of the fuel selector in the cockpit is OFF, LEFT TANK, and RIGHT TANK. According to the owner of the airplane, the pilot would have started the flight in the RIGHT TANK position. The fuel selector was found in the OFF position and was jammed from impact damage, which would not allow movement after the accident. (Figure 1). Figure 1. View of airplane fuel selector.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.