Piper PA-31-350 accident near Deadhorse, Alaska, December 22, 2000
On December 22, 2000 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N63MB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Deadhorse, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Factors associated with the accident were clouds, fog, dusk light conditions, and the pilot's self-induced pressure to complete the flight prior to nightfall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 2000 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Deadhorse, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N63MB · no longer on the register · serial 31-7852417
- 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
The air taxi pilot made one attempt to land at a remote airstrip located at an oil production camp close to the Arctic Circle. The pilot was unable to locate the runway, and radioed the camp that the weather was poor. A passenger noted the pilot entered the clouds while he was circling in the vicinity of the camp. The pilot subsequently flew to an airport about 50 miles away, completed an instrument approach due to less than VFR weather conditions, refueled, and made another attempt to locate and land at the remote site. The pilot told the passengers that he would make one more attempt at landing, but if unsuccessful, they would have to leave, as it would soon be dark. During the approach to landing, the pilot stated he inadvertently entered clouds, or fog, and collided with a snow-covered hill. A passenger in the right-front seat indicated the pilot started a descent about five miles from the airstrip, and that he could not see the ground until just before impact. Prior to his second landing attempt, the pilot radioed camp personnel that the weather was still poor, but he would make another try. The airplane crashed on snow-covered terrain about five miles from the airstrip.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 27,776 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days; 27,662 as pilot in command; 3,888 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,686 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 13, 2000; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,368 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540J2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SCC at 5:39 pm
- Destination: Kavik AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 020° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: -18°F (-28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:36 pm from SCC, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.