Piper PA-34 accident near Tyonek, Alaska, February 14, 1987
On February 14, 1987 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-34, registered N6970J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tyonek, Alaska (Beluga 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 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
- February 14, 1987 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tyonek, Alaska · Beluga · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34 · all PA-34s on the register
- Registration
- N6970J · no longer on the register · serial 347670307
- 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 ON-DEMAND AIR TAXI FLIGHT STRUCK A MOOSE DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL AT A PRIVATE RURAL AIRSTRIP. THE TWO PILOT CREW AND ONE PASSENGER WERE UNINJURED. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT WING WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED; BUT THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND ELECTED TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT TO ITS ORIGINAL DESTINATION 30 NM DISTANCE. THE FLIGHT WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,275 hours in all; 952 in this make and model; 10,125 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,006 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 28, 1986; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSI0-360E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK
- Destination: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 18, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.