Piper PA-32 accident near Nunapitchuk, Alaska, December 31, 1982
On December 31, 1982 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32, registered N4246T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nunapitchuk, Alaska (Nunapitchuk 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
- December 31, 1982 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Nunapitchuk, Alaska · Nunapitchuk
- 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
- N4246T · no longer on the register · serial 7240043
- 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 AIRCRAFT WAS TAKING OFF FROM A FROZEN SEAPLANE LANDING AREA WHEN IT STRUCK SEVERAL SNOW BANKS AND CRASHED. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD SELECTED AN AREA OF ICE, ABOUT 1100 FT LONG, AND BEGAN TAKING OFF IN AN 8 KT CROSSWIND WITH 6 PASSENGERS ON BOARD. REPORTEDLY, THE PLANE HAD TRAVELED ABOUT 900 FT AND HAD JUST ATTAINED FLYING SPEED WHEN IT HIT THE FIRST OF SEVERAL DRIFTS. AFTER CONTACTING ABOUT 4 DRIFTS, THE PLANE MUSHED (WHILE IN GROUND EFFECT) AND COLLIDED WITH BRUSH. THE COMPUTED TAKEOFF DISTANCE AT THE MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT WAS 1100 FT IN NO WIND CONDITIONS. THE GROSS WEIGHT FOR THIS TAKEOFF WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,300 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1AS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 98Z Nunapitchuk AK at 12:00 pm
- Destination: Bethel AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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 N4246T 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.