Piper PA-32-300 accident near Skagway, Alaska, June 2, 1993
On June 2, 1993 at about 10:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N8127K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skagway, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AS A RESULT OF A FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE #2 CONNECTING ROD. A FACTOR WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR THE EMERGENCY LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 1993 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Skagway, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N8127K · registry record · serial 7940268
- 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
ABOUT 15 MIN AFTER DEPARTING SKAGWAY, WHILE MANEUVERING OVER A GLACIER, THE PILOT NOTED DECREASING ENGINE OIL PRESSURE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE ENGINE BEGAN TO EMIT METALLIC SOUNDS, AND THEN THE ENGINE QUIT. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE ON THE GLACIER. ON-SCENE EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE #2 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED. SUBSEQUENT METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION BY THE SAFETY BOARD REVEALED THAT THE FRACTURE OF THE ROD THROUGH THE STRAP AREA ADJACENT TO THE HEAD OF THE ROD BOLT DISPLAYED FEATURES TYPICAL OF A FATIGUE FRACTURE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,210 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,105 as pilot in command; 760 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,266 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 1993; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Skagway Air Service, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:44 pm from JNU, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 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.