Piper PA-31-350 accident near Hughes, Alaska, December 15, 2011
On December 15, 2011 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N9FW, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Hughes, Alaska (Hughes airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 pilot did not clear the area surrounding the airplane prior to taxi, resulting in the airplane contacting a piece of baggage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2011 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hughes, Alaska · Hughes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N9FW · registry record · serial 31-7405468
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The operator reported that, after loading the airplane, the pilot started to taxi, and the left engine's propeller struck a piece of baggage that was left on the ramp after a prior flight. The propeller picked up the baggage and threw it onto the upper left side of the fuselage, resulting in substantial damage.
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
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,600 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 7, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,175 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 17, 2011; 35 hours since
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming TIO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming LTIO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wright Air Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 1:42 pm
- Destination: HUS Hughes AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N9FW 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.