Piper PA-28R-201 incident near Mcgrath, Alaska, April 19, 1983
On April 19, 1983 at about 6:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-201, registered N38565, suffered minor damage in an incident near Mcgrath, Alaska (Lime Village airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 1983 · about 6:05 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Mcgrath, Alaska · Lime Village · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201s on the register
- Registration
- N38565 · registry record · serial 28R-7737098
- 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
AFTER 3 ATTEMPTS TO TAKEOFF FROM A MUDDY AIRSTRIP AND FAILING, THE PILOT OFF-LOADED ONE PASSENGER AND SOME BAGGAGE. ON THE FOURTH TAKEOFF ATTEMPT THE AIRCRAFT GOT AIRBORNE BUT SETTLED BACK TO A SNOW COVERED FROZEN RIVER. THE SNOW SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT AND THE PILOT REDUCED POWER WHILE TRYING TO MAKE A SMALL RIGHT TURN TO AVOID TREES AND THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,222 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 239 in the last 90 days; 974 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,619 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 10, 1983; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-CIC6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MCG Mcgrath AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 1,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N38565 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer and Arrow 18,621 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-CIC6 8,559 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Yuknis Airport · nearest airport
- MC Grath Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC83IA072.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.