Piper PA-32-301 accident near Cold Bay, Alaska, April 15, 2011
On April 15, 2011 at about 1:55 am local time, a Piper PA-32-301, registered N81052, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Cold Bay, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
An in-flight encounter with unforecast turbulence, which resulted in structural damage to the stabilator.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 2011 · about 1:55 am local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Cold Bay, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-301 · all PA-32-301s on the register
- Registration
- N81052 · registry record · serial 32-8206023
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while descending toward his destination, the airplane encountered severe turbulence of short duration. After the turbulence passed, he made an uneventful landing at his destination airport. A postaccident examination of the airplane discovered substantial damage to the stabilator. The wind at the destination airport was reported as 310 degrees at 9 knots, the area forecast valid at the time of the turbulence encounter forecast no significant turbulence, and there were no pilot reports of turbulence. The pilot indicated that prior to the severe turbulence; there had been no significant turbulence during the flight. An examination of the stabilator showed that the right half was bent downward 5 to 10 degrees outboard of the fuselage attachments. No evidence of fatigue or corrosion was found.
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
What happened, in order
- Turbulence encounter during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Spars/ribs (horizontal stab) › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the airframe structure
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Clear air turbulence › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,561 hours in all; 4,038 in this make and model; 96 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 23, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,089 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 17, 2011
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Peninsula Airways INC
The flight
- Departed from: PAKF False Pass AK at 8:45 pm
- Destination: PACD Cold Bay AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from PACD, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on June 24, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N81052 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga 3,916 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,837 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 SER 4,222 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- False Pass Airport · departed from
- Cold Bay Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,144 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC11LA027.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.