Piper PA32R accident near Atmautluak, Alaska, March 21, 2019
On March 21, 2019 at about 5:45 pm local time, a 1976 Piper PA32R, registered N5544F, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Atmautluak, Alaska (Atmautluak airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane's encounter with a snow-covered pothole during taxi.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 2019 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Atmautluak, Alaska · Atmautluak · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32R 300, built 1976 · all PA32Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5544F · registry record · serial 32R-7780014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while taxiing to the runway for departure, he felt a "large bump." The pilot immediately shut down the engine and inspected the airplane. He identified damage to the right wing and landing gear. The pilot further reported that he inspected the taxiway after he saw the airplane's damage and noted that the large bump he felt was due to the right landing gear's encounter with a snow-covered pothole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (to runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Hidden/submerged object › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,183.9 hours in all; 458.8 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 125 in the last 30 days; 1,153.9 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 13, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,421.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 28, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-SER (piston); 2,932 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BET Bethel AK
- Destination: 4A2 Atmautluak AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 33, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.29 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PABE, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 10, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.