Piper PA-22/20 accident near Kasilof, Alaska, October 26, 1996
On October 26, 1996 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22/20, registered N7431D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kasilof, Alaska. It was a personal 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 pilot's misjudgment of distance and altitude on final approach to land, which resulted in an undershoot and collision with a dirt bank before reaching the proper touchdown point. A factor related to the accident was: the proximity of the frozen dirt bank at the approach end of the intended point of landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 1996 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kasilof, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22/20 · all PA-22/20s on the register
- Registration
- N7431D · registry record · serial 22-5190
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting touch-and-go operations on a frozen lake adjacent to his property. A small frozen mound of dirt was located at the approach end of the lake. The pilot indicated that he was concerned about stopping on the frozen surface of the lake, and his approach path to the lake was a little low. The right main landing gear struck the mound of dirt before touchdown and was folded back against the fuselage. The airplane then contacted the surface of the lake and received damage to the right main landing gear, propeller, and the spar and outboard ribs of the right wing.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 173 hours in all; 106 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 129 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,013 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 21, 1996; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 7°F (-14°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.
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.