Piper PA-32R accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, April 5, 1999
On April 5, 1999 at about 6:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R, registered N1942H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks Int'L Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to the failure of maintenance personnel to properly torque a connecting rod bolt during an engine overhaul, and the subsequent disconnection of the connecting rod bolt and connecting rod.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1999 · about 6:53 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks Int'L Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R · all PA-32Rs on the register
- Registration
- N1942H · registry record · serial 32R-77880206
- 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
During initial climb, about 1,500 feet above ground level, as the pilot made his first power reduction, the engine quit. The pilot stated 'it quit so fast I knew I had a problem.' The pilot waited until he cleared trees to extend the landing gear, and landed the airplane on a road. The landing gear did not lock into the down position and collapsed. The right wing struck a snow berm. Inspection revealed that one of the bolts joining the number six connecting rod to the crankshaft had separated. The nut was found in the bottom of the crankcase. Inspection of the bolt and nut at the NTSB metallurgical laboratory did not reveal any preaccident damage to the threads on either the bolt or the nut. The torque on the other 11 connecting rod attachment nuts was checked to be 480 inch-pounds. The engine had been overhauled 241 hours prior to the accident.
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: 880 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 130 in the last 30 days; 510 as pilot in command; 56 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,201 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 23, 1999; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bellair, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FAI AK at 1:50 pm
- Destination: FYU Fort Yukon AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from FAI, 7 miles away
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.