Piper PA-31-350 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, March 13, 2002
On March 13, 2002 at about 7:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N3527U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks International airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 9 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 complete his prelanding checklist, and a subsequent inadvertent wheels up landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 2002 · about 7:53 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N3527U · registry record · serial 317952161
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon entering the pattern, the pilot was given instructions by the tower controllers he had not anticipated. In complying with the instructions, he altered his normal landing procedures, and failed to complete his before landing checklist. He subsequently landed the airplane with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to fuselage stringers and skin.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,330 hours in all; 1,349 in this make and model; 352 in the last 90 days; 115 in the last 30 days; 5,152 as pilot in command; 1,258 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 7, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20,891.5 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 10, 2002; 10.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,368 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PFYU Fort Yukon AK at 5:01 pm
- Destination: PAFA Fairbanks AK
- Runway 01L, 11,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point -6°F (-21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PAFA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
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 N3527U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC02LA022.