Piper PA-32-260 accident near Lime Village, Alaska, November 9, 2000
On November 9, 2000 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N4803S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lime Village, Alaska (Lime Village airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to properly utilize carburetor heat. Factors in the accident were the presence of carburetor icing conditions, and unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 2000 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Lime Village, Alaska · Lime Village · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N4803S · registry record · serial 32-1188
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During on-demand air taxi passenger flight with four passengers, the commercial certificated pilot described the weather conditions along the route of flight as 4,000 to 5,000 feet overcast, visibility 10 miles, temperature 35 to 40 degrees F, with areas of snow showers above 2,000 feet, and rain showers below 2,000 feet. During a left turn from the base leg to the final approach heading of the landing pattern at the destination airport, the engine sputtered. The pilot confirmed there were no caution lights on the instrument panel. He confirmed the fuel selector was on the right wing tip fuel tank. He then selected carburetor heat, and the engine lost almost all power. From about 200 feet above the ground, he pilot selected an emergency landing area on the bank of a river, short of the landing threshold. During the ground collision, all of the landing gear were sheared off, and the left wing was buckled. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. According to published carburetor icing charts, the meteorological conditions were conducive to severe icing under descent power.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,044 hours in all; 288 in the last 90 days; 113 in the last 30 days; 2,044 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,926 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 2000; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5N1 Nikolai AK at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 2AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.
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.