Piper PA-32-300 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, August 26, 2006
On August 26, 2006 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N4466T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fracture of the aluminum alloy landing gear adapter assembly, which resulted in a loss of control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2006 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N4466T · no longer on the register · serial 32-7240067
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was landing a wheel-equipped airplane on a gravel-covered, private airstrip during a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he was landing to the east, which required a correction for a slight right crosswind. As the airplane touched down, it bounced slightly and settled onto the right main tire, and then the left main tire. The pilot said that as soon as the left main tire made contact with the ground, the airplane veered sharply to the left, and the left wing struck an area of low brush and trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. A postaccident inspection of the airplane disclosed that the lower portion of the left main landing gear strut had fractured, and the left main tire, wheel, and axle were missing. A search for the missing wheel assembly was unsuccessful. The upper portion of the left main landing gear strut remained attached to the airplane. The fracture origin site, located on the aluminum alloy adapter, P/N: 7838-002, was obliterated after contacting the ground, which precluded any further metallurgical examination.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 226 hours in all; 118 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 139 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,596.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005; 162.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 4:05 pm
- Destination: Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 080, 4,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N4466T 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.