Piper PA-31-350 accident near Spokane, Washington, January 13, 1982
On January 13, 1982 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N36PB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Spokane, Washington (Geiger Field). 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 1982 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Spokane, Washington · Geiger Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N36PB · registry record · serial 317405128
- 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
AFTER ARRIVING IN THE SPOKANE AREA, A FULL ILS WAS COMMENCED. IT WAS TERMINATED ABOUT 200 FT ABOVE THE DECISION HEIGHT WITH A MISSED APPROACH. THE AIRCRAFT WAS VECTORED FOR A SECOND ILS. DURING THE LAST 400 FT OF THIS APPROACH, ABOUT 3/4 TO ONE INCH OF MIXED RIME AND CLEAR ICE WAS PICKED UP. THE COPILOT VISUALLY IDENTIFIED THE APPROACH LIGHTS AND THE ILS WAS CONTINUED TO LANDING. DURING THE FLARE, THE LEFT WING DROPPED AND STRUCK THE RUNWAY AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. ICE HAD FORMED ON THE LEADING EDGES OF THE WINGS IN ABOUT A TWO INCH FLAT PLANE, PERPENDICULAR TO THE CHORD LINE. AT THE TIME OF THE MISHAP, FOG DISPERSAL OPERATIONS WERE IN EFFECT. THE PROCEDURE INVOLVED THE USE OF AIRCRAFT TO DISSEMINATE DRY ICE INTO THE FOG TO PROVIDE CONDENSATION NUCLEI. THIS PROCEDURE INCREASES THE FOG DROPLET SIZE TO PROVIDE SUBSEQUENT DISSIPATION. IT ALSO REDUCES THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SURROUNDING AIR, AND IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS, CAN ATTRIBUTE TO AIRFRAME ICING. PREVAILING TEMPERATURE WAS 33 DEG.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,295 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 4,994 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,121 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GEG Seattle WA at 8:50 am
- Destination: BFI Spokane WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 21, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 am from GEG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N36PB 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.