Piper PA-20 accident near Bethel, Alaska, February 26, 1982
On February 26, 1982 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-20, registered N3404A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bethel, Alaska (Kuskokwim River airport). 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 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
- February 26, 1982 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · Kuskokwim River · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-20 · all PA-20s on the register
- Registration
- N3404A · registry record · serial 201069
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TAXIING TO THE TIE-DOWN AREA WHEN THE RIGHT SKI/LANDING GEAR FAILED. THE PILOT ATTRIBUTED THE FAILURE TO AGE AND NOTED THAT ICE LANDINGS ARE HARD ON SKI EQUIPPED AIRCRAFT.
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: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 384 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 326 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,115 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Field Site AK at 5:40 pm
- Destination: Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°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 N3404A 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.