Piper PA-12 accident near Dadina Lake, Alaska, September 18, 1984
On September 18, 1984 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N3269M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dadina Lake, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- September 18, 1984 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dadina Lake, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N3269M · registry record · serial 122127
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE PLT HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN MOOSE HUNTING ACTIVITIES. ON THE MORNING OF THE OCCURRENCE HE HAD MADE TWO SUCCESSFUL FLTS HAULING MEAT FROM A SMALL UNNAMED LAKE TO DADINA LAKE, ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH. SHORTLY AFTER THE THIRD TAKEOFF FROM THE SMALL LAKE, CONTROL OF THE ACFT WAS LOST AND THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE WATER RIGHT WING DOWN. UPON RECOVERY OF THE DROWNED PLT, DIVERS ALSO FOUND MOOSE HORNS WHICH HAD BEEN TIED TO THE FLOAT LIFT STRUTS. THE PLT DID NOT HOLD A SEAPLANE RATING.
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
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,444 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 1984; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 25°F (-4°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.