Piper PA-32-300 accident near Juneau, Alaska, October 23, 1997
On October 23, 1997 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N30505, was destroyed in an accident near Juneau, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather. Related factors were the low ceilings, mountainous terrain, and self induced pressure by the pilot to complete the flight and return for the evening.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1997 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N30505 · registry record · serial 32-7840199
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying through a mountain pass when the airplane collided with rising terrain and was destroyed by fire. The flight had been delayed several hours due to low ceilings, and the pilot was in a hurry to return due to plans for the evening. Another company pilot who immediately preceded him along a parallel route, and another pilot in the area, stated that they did not believe the pass where the accident occurred was open. The ceiling was broken with overcast layers above 1,000 feet mean sea level (msl). The airplane impacted in a level attitude, with the wings parallel to the slope, at 2,600 feet msl. No abnormalities were discovered with the airplane or engine. Due to rain, snow and freezing temperatures, the wreckage was located two days later.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,746 hours in all; 643 in this make and model; 191 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 1,737 as pilot in command; 148 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,617 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1997; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K165 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: JNU AK at 5:30 pm
- Destination: KAE Kake AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 300 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from JNU, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N30505 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.