Piper PA-28-180 accident near Nome, Alaska, April 24, 1983
On April 24, 1983 at about 8:07 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N7346W, was destroyed in an accident near Nome, Alaska (Nome airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- April 24, 1983 · about 8:07 pm local time
- Place
- Nome, Alaska · Nome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7346W · no longer on the register · serial 28-1223
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1205 BDT, THE PLT REPORTED DEPARTING RWY 20 ON AN IFR FLT. AT THAT TIME, THE BASES OF THE CLOUDS WERE REPORTED TO BE AT APRX 600 TO 700 FT WITH THE TOPS AT 3500 FT & ANOTHER CLOUD LAYER WAS ABOVE THAT. AT APRX 1207, THE ACFT CRASHED ON THE ARPT BOUNDRY, BESIDE THE WEST END OF RWY 9/27. THE IMPACT OCCURRED ON THE SOUTH BANK OF A SNOW COVERED, FROZEN RIVER. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST ON THE NORTH BANK AFTER TRAVELING APRX 300 FT. TWO WITNESSES HEARD WHAT SOUNDED TO THEM AS AEROBATIC MANEUVERS. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT HE SAW THE ACFT JUST BELOW THE BASE OF THE CLOUDS HEADING NORTH. ACCORDING TO HIM, THE ACFT STARTED A 360 DEG RIGHT TURN, MAKING A STEEP DESCENT DURING THE 1ST HALF OF THE TURN, THEN A STEEP CLIMB DURING THE 2ND HALF. HE REPORTED THAT AT THE COMPLETION OF THE TURN, THE ACFT'S NOSE DROPPED & THE ACFT ENTERED A DESCENT & CRASHED. ANOTHER WITNESS SAW THE PLANE DESCENDING BEFORE ITCRASHED. HE THOUGHT THAT IT HAD JUST COME OUT OF THE CLOUDS. VACUUM PUMP/ATTITUDE INDICATOR EXAMED, NO MALFUNCTION FOUND
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 834 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 672 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,746 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1983; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OME Nome AK
- Destination: GAL Galena AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 20, 5,576 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.