Piper PA-34-200T incident near Cordova, Alaska, May 4, 1989
On May 4, 1989 at about 9:02 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N47895, suffered minor damage in an incident near Cordova, Alaska (Cordova Mile 13 airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE UPPER TRUNION BOLT WHICH NORMALLY HOLDS THE UPPER PORTION OF THE OVER CENTER DOWN LINK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1989 · about 9:02 pm local time
- Place
- Cordova, Alaska · Cordova Mile 13 · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N47895 · registry record · serial 34-7870012
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRPLANE SETTLED ONTO ITS NOSE. A SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY REVEALED THAT THE UPPER TRUNION BOLT HAD FAILED.
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: 8,652 hours in all; 303 in the last 90 days; 135 in the last 30 days; 8,184 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,405 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 17, 1989; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-EB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK at 3:01 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 7,499 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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 N47895 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.