Piper PA-28-181 incident near Gustavus, Alaska, September 22, 1995
On September 22, 1995 at about 1:35 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N38293, was involved in an incident near Gustavus, 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
fatigue failure of the propeller blade due to previous foreign object damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 1995 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Gustavus, Alaska · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N38293 · registry record · serial 28-7790537
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on climbout when the airplane began to shake and vibrate. The pilot reduced power, and returned and landed at the Gustavus Airport without further incident. Examination of the propeller showed that 4.5 to 5 inches of one propeller blade had separated. Metallurgical analysis of the blade showed fatigue cracking emanating from a nick on the leading edge. The hardness and composition of the propeller blade material met design specifications.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 955 hours in all; 199 in this make and model; 306 in the last 90 days; 115 in the last 30 days; 895 as pilot in command; 215 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GST at 8:35 pm
- Destination: JNU Juneau AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.