Piper PA-31-350 accident near Kotzebue, Alaska, April 4, 1992
On April 4, 1992 at about 1:36 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N3555C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kotzebue, Alaska (Kotzebue airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT FACTOR IN THAT THE PROPER GLIDEPATH AND ALTITUDE WAS NOT MAINTAINED. FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: INATTENTIVENESS AND SNOW.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 1992 · about 1:36 pm local time
- Place
- Kotzebue, Alaska · Kotzebue · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N3555C · no longer on the register · serial 31-8052058
- 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
DURING THE IFR APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT, THE FLIGHT HAD BEEN CLEARED FOR THE ILS/DME FOR RUNWAY 8. THE PILOT PERFORMED THE PUBLISHED PROCEDURE TURN AND WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE LOCALIZER AND GLIDE SLOPE AT ABOUT 5.5 MILES DME. THE FLIGHT CONTINUED THE DESCENT AS THE PILOT COMPLETED THE BEFORE LANDING CHECKLIST. AT ABOUT 5 MILES DME, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE FSS TO REPORT FINAL APPROACH FIX INBOUND, HOWEVER, HE HAD TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER AIRPLANE TRANSMITTING. THE PILOT THEN CONTACTED THE FSS AND REPORTED 4.5 MILES DME. SHORTLY AFTER THE RADIO CALL, THE PILOT FELT THE AIRPLANE CONTACT THE GROUND. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HIS LAST INSTRUMENT SCAN THAT HE COULD REMEMBER SHOWED THAT HE WAS ON THE GLIDE PATH AND LOCALIZER AT AN ALTITUDE OF 1,250 FEET. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 100 YARDS AND BLOWING SNOW.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,367 hours in all; 4,823 in this make and model; 285 in the last 90 days; 98 in the last 30 days; 8,076 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,989 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 3, 1992; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 11:20 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8, 5,900 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 14 knots
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from OTZ, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.