Piper PA-32 accident near Tuntutuliak, Alaska, January 19, 1982
On January 19, 1982 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-32, registered N4246T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuntutuliak, Alaska (Tuntutuliak airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 1982 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Tuntutuliak, Alaska · Tuntutuliak · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32 · all PA-32s on the register
- Registration
- N4246T · no longer on the register · serial 7240043
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF ON A RUNWAY COVERED WITH 7 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW,THE AIRCRAFT PULLED TO THE RIGHT.THE PILOT REDUCED ENGINE POWER,BUT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL.THE AIRCRAFT VEERED OFF THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY.PILOT REPORTED SNOW REMOVAL EQUIPMENT NOT OPERATIONAL.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,115 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days; 4,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 KIA5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bethel AK at 3:35 pm
- Destination: Eek AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 4, 1,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 N4246T 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.