Piper PA-32-301 accident near Chefornak, Alaska, March 27, 1999
On March 27, 1999 at about 2:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-301, registered N81844, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chefornak, Alaska (Chefornak airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing site. A factor associated with the accident was rough and uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1999 · about 2:10 pm local time
- Place
- Chefornak, Alaska · Chefornak · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-301 · all PA-32-301s on the register
- Registration
- N81844 · registry record · serial 32-8006012
- 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
The pilot reported he was landing on a gravel airstrip that was rough and uneven due to frost heaves. He said the airplane bounced when it encountered a frost heave, and the nose gear collapsed. The pilot related there were no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,438 hours in all; 86 in this make and model; 4,879 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,096 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 18, 1999; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO540KIG5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK at 1:13 pm
- Destination: CFK
- Runway 34, 2,500 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N81844 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.