Piper PA-28 accident near Aleknagik, Alaska, April 12, 2000
On April 12, 2000 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28, registered N6119W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aleknagik, Alaska. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The first pilot's (pilot-in-command) inadequate evaluation of the weather, and failure to maintain an adequate altitude above the ground. Factors in the accident were low ceilings, and snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 2000 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Aleknagik, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N6119W · no longer on the register · serial 28-20135
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The first pilot, a commercial certificated pilot and a flight instructor, and the second pilot, a private pilot, were ferrying the airplane cross-country to obtain an annual inspection. The airplane was owned and being flown by the second pilot who occupied the left seat. The second pilot's medical certificate was expired. The first pilot, occupying the right seat, said he was the pilot-in-command, but the second pilot was at the flight controls at the time of the crash. The flight proceeded toward a small range of mountains, but the tops of the ridges were obscured by clouds. The first pilot said overcast sky conditions varied between 1,400 to 1,600 feet above the ground, and he estimated the visibility below the overcast as 20 miles. As the flight approached the mountains, the pilot turned northward, but found no access across the mountains. He turned around and began to proceed to the departure airport. While in cruise flight at 500 feet above the ground, the first pilot said the horizon became indistinguishable from the snow-covered mountains, and the snow-covered ground. The first pilot said that neither he or the second pilot realized the airplane was slowly descending until it collided with the surface of a snow-covered lake.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 911 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 739 as pilot in command; 145 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5NK Naknek AK at 4:55 pm
- Destination: PABE Bethel AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N6119W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.