Piper PA-32-301 accident near Sleetmute, Alaska, March 24, 1992
On March 24, 1992 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-301, registered N84547, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sleetmute, Alaska (Sleetmute airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE AIRPLANE STALLED WHEN THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN FLYING SPEED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 1992 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Sleetmute, Alaska · Sleetmute · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-301 · all PA-32-301s on the register
- Registration
- N84547 · no longer on the register · serial 32-8206002
- 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
AFTER LIFTOFF THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN FLYING SPEED. THE AIRPLANE STALLED AND HIT THE GROUND BEFORE THE PILOT COULD RECOVER.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,800 hours in all; 775 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days; 4,593 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,105 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 22, 1992; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arctic Circle Air Service, INC
The flight
- Destination: RDV Red Devil AK
- Runway 14, 3,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.