Piper PA-32 accident near Hooper Bay, Alaska, July 1, 1988
On July 1, 1988 at about 3:15 am local time, a Piper PA-32, registered N15268, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hooper Bay, Alaska (Hooper Bay airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 1988 · about 3:15 am local time
- Place
- Hooper Bay, Alaska · Hooper Bay · map
- 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
- N15268 · registry record · serial 327340029
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIALLY CERTIFICATED PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND IN WINDS ESTIMATED AS 30 KNOTS GUSTING TO 40. HE REPORTEDLY HIT A DOWNDRAFT JUST PIROR TO LANDING AND HAD A HARDER THAN NORMAL TOUCHDOWN. DURING THE LATER STAGES OF THE LANDING ROLL-OUT, HE APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE LEFT MAIN GEAR LEG 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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,586 hours in all; 520 in this make and model; 231 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 9,506 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,881 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 15, 1988; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-KIA5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: 2Z0 Emmonak AK at 9:25 pm
- Destination: HPB Hooper Bay AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 3,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 30 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC88LA079.