Piper PA-32-300 accident near Gustavus, Alaska, June 25, 2012
On June 25, 2012 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N8908N, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Gustavus, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue failure of the engine crankshaft for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident metallurgical examination.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2012 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Gustavus, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N8908N · registry record · serial 32-40695
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The scheduled passenger flight was about 11 miles from its destination airport when the airplane's engine began to lose power and vibrate. After completing the "Engine Power Loss In-Flight" emergency checklist, and with no improvement in engine power or the vibration, the pilot elected to shut down the engine and performed a forced landing on a beach. During the landing, the airplane's nose landing gear folded back under the airplane, and the engine firewall sustained substantial damage. An examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft fractured forward of the #6 bearing journal on the crankshaft through the counterweight web. The fracture surfaces were all consistent with fatigue; however, the cause of the fatigue crack initiation could not be determined.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 971 hours in all; 59 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,940 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 29, 2012
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Excursions LLC
The flight
- Departed from: PAJN Juneau AK at 12:23 pm
- Destination: Gustavus AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 5:36 pm from PAGS, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Other NTSB records under N8908N 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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ANC12LA058.