Piper PA-32-301 accident near Karluk, Alaska, October 20, 1993
On October 20, 1993 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-301, registered N4327P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Karluk, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN FOR LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 1993 · about 3:15 pm local time · cases in 1993
- Place
- Karluk, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-301 · all PA-32-301s on the register
- Registration
- N4327P · registry record · serial 32-8406002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE CIRCLED THE LANDING AREA ON A BEACH TWICE TO DETERMINE THE WIND AND SUITABILITY OF THE AREA. DURING THE FINAL STAGE OF THE LANDING FLARE (ABOUT TWO FEET ABOVE THE GROUND), HE HEARD A LOUD THUMP OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE. HE INTIATED A GO-AROUND AND OBSERVED A DENT IN THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE RIGHT WING. HE ELECTED TO LAND AT KING SALMON. AFTER LANDING, AN EIGHT INCH CIRCULAR GASH WAS FOUND IN THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING IN THE AREA OF THE OUTBOARD SPAR. A SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE BEECH AREA WAS MADE BY COMPANY PERSONNEL, BUT THEY COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE OBJECT THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD HIT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,100 hours in all; 4,300 in this make and model; 232 in the last 90 days; 115 in the last 30 days; 8,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,637 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 4, 1993; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AKN King Salmon AK at 1:30 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4327P on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga 3,916 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 48 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- King Salmon Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC94LA013.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.