Piper PA-32 accident near Port Heiden, Alaska, January 29, 1993
On January 29, 1993 at about 1:57 pm local time, a Piper PA-32, registered N8327S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Heiden, Alaska. 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE NUMBER 3 CYLINDER INTAKE VALVE STEM. A FACTOR IN THE DEGREE OF DAMAGE THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED IN THE MISHAP WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE OFF AIRPORT EMERGENCY LANDING ON SHOW COVERED TUNDRA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 1993 · about 1:57 pm local time
- Place
- Port Heiden, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32 · all PA-32s on the register
- Registration
- N8327S · no longer on the register · serial 32-8106039
- 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 NON SCHEDULED AIR TAXI CARGO FLIGHT, CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 135, EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT. THE PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON SNOW COVERED TUNDRA. A POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE POWERPLANT BY A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER 3 CYLINDER INTAKE VALVE STEM FAILED, CAUSING THE VALVE TO PASS THROUGH THE PISTON, RESULTING IN EXTENSIVE INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,400 hours in all; 3,900 in this make and model; 246 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days; 7,320 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,189 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 11, 1993; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,680 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Peninsula Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: AKN King Salmon AK at 1:10 pm
- Destination: KPV Perryville AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 pm from PTH, 8 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.
Other NTSB records under N8327S 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.