Piper PA-32-300 accident near Tuntutuliak, Alaska, June 23, 1989
On June 23, 1989 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N15306, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuntutuliak, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO AIRCRAFT DAMAGE WAS A MUD (DIRT) BANK WHICH THE AIRCRAFT HIT DURING THE EMERGENCY LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 1989 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Tuntutuliak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N15306 · no longer on the register · serial 327340034
- 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
BEFORE REACHING THE DESTN, THE ENG BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH, THEN LOST POWER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT A MUD BANK & WAS DAMAGED AS THE PLT WAS LANDING ON TUNDRA ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE ARPT. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THE CRANKSHAFT 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,635 hours in all; 710 in this make and model; 270 in the last 90 days; 128 in the last 30 days; 1,564 as pilot in command; 513 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,372 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 14, 1989; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 4:20 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.