Piper PA-20 accident near Chitina, Alaska, March 25, 2022
On March 25, 2022 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 1951 Piper PA-20, registered N7074K, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Chitina, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the wing’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in a stall and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 2022 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Chitina, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-20, built 1951 · all PA-20s on the register
- Registration
- N7074K · registry record · serial 20-181
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during approach to land on a snow-covered glacier, the airplane was “lower and slower” than his previous approaches to the glacier. He executed a go-around, the wind “shifted”, and the airplane stalled and impacted the terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Other weather encounter during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Sudden wind shift › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 350 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 20, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,361 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Peavine Bar AK at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 pm from PACV, 119 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PACV 252115Z 09010G19KT 10SM BKN026 BKN034 OVC100 05/01 A2976 RMK AO2 T00500006 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 22, 2022. 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, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Picture | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N7074K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7074K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-20 Pacer 323 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,838 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B 179 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 826 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N7074K 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC22LA027.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.