Piper PA-20 accident near Palmer, Alaska, April 23, 2003
On April 23, 2003 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-20, registered N5589H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palmer, Alaska (Palmer Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop and collapse of the left main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2003 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · Palmer Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-20 · all PA-20s on the register
- Registration
- N5589H · registry record · serial 20-651
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing a tundra tire-equipped airplane on an asphalt surface runway that was 3,616 feet long and 75 feet wide. The pilot said that during the landing roll, the airplane began to veer left and right, and he added engine power to control the airplane. The pilot indicated that the airplane departed off the runway surface to the right, and then ground looped to the right. The left main landing gear collapsed inward and upward, and the left wingtip struck the ground. The airplane received damage to the left landing gear and fuselage structure, the left wing lift strut, and left wingtip. The pilot reported the wind was from the south-southwest at 5 knots.
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: 1,280 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,180 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 31, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 912 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 2002; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PABV Chugiak AK at 4:15 pm
- Destination: PAAQ Palmer AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,616 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N5589H 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.