Piper PA-32-300 accident near Funter Pass, Alaska, April 29, 1985
On April 29, 1985 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N2897X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Funter Pass, Alaska. 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1985 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Funter Pass, Alaska · 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-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N2897X · registry record · serial 32-7940187
- 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
PRIOR TO THE FLT, THE PLT HAD OBTAINED A BRIEFING THRU THE COMPANY WEATHER REPORTING SYS & VFR WX HAD BEEN FORECAST. WHILE EN ROUTE, HE ENCOUNTERED SNOW SHOWERS IN THE AREA OF FUNTER PASS. HE REPORTED THAT HE BECAME TRAPPED BY TWO SNOW SHOWERS WITH THE VISIBILITY DROPPING TO ABOUT 1/4 MI. THE PLT ELECTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY ON UPSLOPING TERRAIN. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED & THE LEFT WING WAS DAMAGED.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,499 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 260 in the last 90 days; 1,481 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNU Juneau AK at 5:15 pm
- Destination: HNA Hoona AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 8 knots
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA85LA099.