Piper PA31-350 incident near Kenai, Alaska, September 30, 1982
On September 30, 1982 at about 12:36 pm local time, a Piper PA31-350, registered N61366, suffered minor damage in an incident near Kenai, Alaska (Kenai 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 incident. 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
- September 30, 1982 · about 12:36 pm local time
- Place
- Kenai, Alaska · Kenai Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA31-350 · all PA31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N61366 · registry record · serial 31-7552108
- Damage
- Minor 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 COMMUTER FLIGHT DEPARTED KENAI, DESTINED FOR ANCHORAGE AK. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHILE ON APPROACH HE COULD NOT OBTAIN A POSITIVE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATION ON THE NOSE GEAR. THE PILOT ELECTED TO RETURN TO KENAI AIRPORT DUE TO WEATHER AT ANCHORAGE. UPON LANDING THE NOSEWHEEL RETRACTED. EXAMINATION OF THE NOSE GEAR REVEALED THAT A STAINLESS STEEL FLEXIBLE LINE ENCLOSED IN A PROTECTIVE RUBBER CASING WAS CHAFED BY A BOLT IN THE NOSE GEAR SCISSORS ASSEMBLY. THE STAINLESS STEEL EXTERIOR MESH WAS RUSTED THROUGH AND GAVE NO SUPPORT TO THE INTERNAL PRESSURE LINE, THEREBY ALLOWING THE LINE TO BURST.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 1,525 in this make and model; 320 in the last 90 days; 3,750 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,868 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southcentral Air INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ENA Kenai AK at 6:45 am
- Destination: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19, 7,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 104°F (40°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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.