Piper PA-32-301 accident near Haines, Alaska, July 30, 1989
On July 30, 1989 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-301, registered N8257V, was destroyed in an accident near Haines, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING AND DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND TERRAIN WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 1989 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Haines, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-301 · all PA-32-301s on the register
- Registration
- N8257V · no longer on the register · serial 32-8206040
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A VFR FLT FROM SKAGWAY TO JUNEAU, AK, THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED OBSCURING WX CONDITIONS AND REVERSED COURSE. EN ROUTE BACK TO SKAGWAY, HE ENCOUNTERED LOW CEILING, RAIN AND FOG. HE DESCENDED TO FLY UNDER THE WX AND LOST VISUAL REFERENCE AT ABOUT 150 FT ABOVE A SALTWATER INLET. HE INITIATED A CLIMB IN IMC, BUT THE ACFT IMPACTED ON A STEEP, WOODED HILLSIDE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,102 hours in all; 253 in this make and model; 291 in the last 90 days; 113 in the last 30 days; 1,565 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,386 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 14, 1989; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Skagway Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: SGY Skagway AK at 12:25 pm
- Destination: JNU Juneau AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 11 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:35 pm from 226, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.
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.