Piper PA-32 accident near Near Dillingham, Alaska, August 26, 1982
On August 26, 1982 at about 2:00 am local time, a Piper PA-32, registered N7989C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Dillingham, Alaska (The Queens airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 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
- August 26, 1982 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Near Dillingham, Alaska · The Queens · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32 · all PA-32s on the register
- Registration
- N7989C · no longer on the register · serial 32-7640051
- 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 BEGAN TAKING OFF DOWN SLOPE IN CALM WIND CONDITIONS WITH SIX PASSENGERS ON BOARD. REPORTEDLY, THE 1380 FT RUNWAY WAS MOSTLY DRY, BUT WAS MUDDY IN PLACES, EXCEPT THE LAST 100 FT CONTAINED STANDING WATER. THE AIRCRAFT HAD BARELY LIFTED OFF PRIOR TO CROSSING THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. ABOUT 75 FT FROM THE END, IT STRUCK A BUSH, THEN APPROXIMATELY 50 FT BEYOND THE BUSH, THE MAIN WHEELS TOUCHED DOWN ON THE TUNDRA. THE WHEELS THEN DUG IN ANDTHE AIRCRAFT SLID TO A STOP, COLLAPSING THE NOSE AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,003 hours in all; 152 in this make and model; 383 in the last 90 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,223 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5QN Near Dillingham AK at 6:00 pm
- Destination: DLG Dillingham AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 5, 1,380 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 140°F (60°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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 N7989C 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.