Piper PA-31-325 accident near Kaltag, Alaska, September 3, 1990
On September 3, 1990 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-325, registered N59783, was destroyed in an accident near Kaltag, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed, 6 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE ALTITUDE AFTER BECOMING DISTRACTED WITH AN ENGINE PROBLEM. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: LOSS OF POWER IN THE #2 ENGINE FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON AND THE LOW OVERCAST CONDITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1990 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Kaltag, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed, 6 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-325 · all PA-31-325s on the register
- Registration
- N59783 · no longer on the register · serial 31-7612024
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE #2 ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AS HE WAS FLYING UNDER A LOW OVERCAST & ABOUT 500 FT ABOVE A RIVER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED & THE FUSELAGE & LEFT PROPELLER CONTACTED THE WATER. WITH THESE PROBLEMS & DECREASING VISIBILITY AHEAD, THE PILOT ELECTED TO MAKE A 180 DEGREE TURN. HE SAID THAT ABOUT MIDWAY THROUGH THE TURN, THE #2 ENGINE LOST ALL POWER. THE AIRPLANE THEN CRASHED INTO TREES & WAS DESTROYED BY A POST-IMPACT FIRE. NO REASON WAS FOUND FOR EITHER ENGINE TO LOSE POWER BEFORE WATER OR TREE CONTACT.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,150 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 6,943 as pilot in command; 1,770 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-F2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NUL Nulato AK at 6:10 pm
- Destination: KAL Kaltag AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots, gusting 7
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 5 | 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.