Piper PA-24-260 accident near Seldovia, Alaska, August 26, 2026
On August 26, 2026 at about 9:17 pm local time, a 1971 Piper PA-24-260, registered N9485P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Seldovia, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2026 · about 9:17 pm local time · cases in 2026
- Place
- Seldovia, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260, built 1971 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N9485P · registry record · serial 24-4999
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 26, 2026 about 1317 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-24-260 airplane, N9485P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Seldovia, Alaska. The pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot and three passengers departed from Merrill Field Airport (PAMR), Anchorage, Alaska, for a day flight to Seldovia Airport (PASO), Seldovia, Alaska. A witness at the Seldovia airport heard the airplane approaching to land on runway 16 and the airplane appeared to be coming in fast. He then heard a series of bounces which sounded hard and abnormal. The first bounce was loud and not a normal touchdown sound. He heard a second bounce which also sounded hard and abnormal. He visually saw the third bounce and believed that the nosewheel hit the ground first. He then heard the engine go to full throttle. He stated that the aircraft pitched up very high and possibly had a tail strike. A witness working with heavy equipment near the end of the runway saw the airplane and noted the airplane was unusually low to the ground just past the end of the runway. He further noted that the accident airplane had attempted to land in the opposite direction of other airplanes that had been landing. Multiple ground witnesses reported seeing the airplane unusually low to the ground, the engine being very loud, and the airplane impacting a tree before descending into the water. The FAA’s chart supplement for the airport notes that surface of the Seldovia Airport runway is gravel and the length is 1,845 ft. The slope to clear obstructions for runway 16 is 11:1. The supplement notes 158 ft trees, 1,735 ft from runway 16 and 110 ft left of the centerline. For runway 34, the supplement notes an 89 ft tree, 995 ft from the runway, and 140 ft right of the centerline. The Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) weather station at the airport at the time of the accident was reporting wind from 020 at 5 knots with wind gusts at 9 knots. The airplane came to rest about 2,200 ft from the end of runway 16 into the Seldovia Slough. A detailed wreckage examination is pending.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: PAMR Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots, gusting 9
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 pm from PASO, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR PASO 262115Z AUTO 02005KT 10SM CLR 13/11 A3006 RMK T01300110 MADISHF.
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N9485P 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
- N9485P on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-24 Comanche 2,428 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Merrill Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N9485P 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/ANC26FA091.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.