Piper PA-32-300 accident near Mckinley Nat'L., Alaska, July 28, 1982
On July 28, 1982 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N3093T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mckinley Nat'L., Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- July 28, 1982 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Mckinley Nat'L., Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N3093T · no longer on the register · serial 32-7240130
- 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
THE PILOT WAS FLYING OVER ONE GLACIER AT ABOUT 700 FEET AGL AND TURNED TO FLY TO ANOTHER UPSLOPE GLACIER. HE ENCOUNTEREDA DOWNDRAFT AND WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB ENOUGH TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE GLACIER. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 6600 FT MSL.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 8,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,101 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5MK Mckinley Park AK at 2:10 pm
- Destination: 5MK Mckinley Park AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 118°F (48°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 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.
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.