Piper PA-31 accident near Kotlik, Alaska, October 1, 2025
On October 1, 2025 at about 3:42 am local time, a 1969 Piper PA-31, registered N16SC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Kotlik, Alaska (Kotlik Airport). It was a business flight 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 2025 · about 3:42 am local time
- Place
- Kotlik, Alaska · Kotlik Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31, built 1969 · all PA-31s on the register
- Registration
- N16SC · registry record · serial 31-639
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern he became distracted by a rain squall which resulted in his failure to extend the landing gear, and the airplane subsequently landed gear-up. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during the gear-up landing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Landing gear not configured during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Flight crew
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Flight crew
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear selector › Not used/operated
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Workload management › Task overload › Flight crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,034 hours in all; 261 in this make and model; 337 in the last 90 days; 114 in the last 30 days; 2,888 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 13, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,750.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Lycoming TIO-540-A2C (piston); 2,897 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming TIO540-A2C (piston); 6,297 hours total
- Operator: Paklook Air
The flight
- Departed from: Z09 Kasigluk AK at 3:00 am
- Runway 20, 4,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.68 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from PFKO
Weather report (METAR): PFKO 301856Z AUTO 13013KT 10SM CLR 01/M06 A2968 RMK AO2 SLP049 T00061061 FZRANO $,M
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N16SC 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 ANC25LA117.