Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Port Heiden, Alaska, March 9, 1983
On March 9, 1983 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N17243, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Heiden, Alaska (Port Heiden airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 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
- March 9, 1983 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Heiden, Alaska · Port Heiden · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N17243 · no longer on the register · serial 28R-30248
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT TAXIED INTO A PILE OF ICE AFTER LANDING. ACCORDING TO AN ALASKA STATE TROOPER THAT ASSISTED IN THE INVESTIGATION, THE PILOT TURNED 45 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY 150 FEET SHORT OF THE TAXIWAY. THE SUN WAS BRIGHT, AND ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, IT WAS BLINDING HIM. THE COLLISION WITH THE ICE COLLAPSED THE NOSE 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 169 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,365 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 9, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIP Pilot Point AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 6,240 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.
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.