Piper PA-32-300 accident near Nightmute, Alaska, October 6, 1992
On October 6, 1992 at about 9:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N76RL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nightmute, Alaska (Nightmute airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT DID NOT ATTAIN PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT WHILE LANDING ON A RAISED GRAVEL RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 1992 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Nightmute, Alaska · Nightmute · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N76RL · no longer on the register · serial 327540024
- 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
THE PILOT SAID HE STRUCK THE LIP OF THE GRAVEL RUNWAY DURING A VISUAL APPROACH. THE LEFT LANDING WHEEL AND AXLE BROKE OFF AND HE COMPLETED THE LANDING WITHOUT THE LEFT WHEEL. THE RUNWAY IS GRAVEL BUILT UP TO 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE THE SURROUNDING TUNDRA.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,207 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 1,131 as pilot in command; 396 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,794 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 27, 1992; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-KIAS (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Camai Air
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 3:55 pm
- Runway 2, 1,600 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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.
Other NTSB records under N76RL 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.