Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Bettles, Alaska 99726
Sunday, April 17, 1983 15:00 AST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ACFT WAS SEEN FLYING ALONG THE TRANS ALASKA PIPELINE AT AN ESTIMATED ALT OF 200 FT AGL. AS THE ACFT ENTERED A PASS, WHERE THE PIPELINE CROSSED RISING TERRAIN, A WITNESS HEARD THE ACFT'S ENG POWER INCREASE, THEN THE PLANE DISAPPEARED FROM HIS VIEW IN FALLING SNOW. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, HE COULD NO LONGER HEAR THE ENG & ASSUMED THE ACFT HAD MADE IT THRU THE PASS. LATER, THE ACFT WAS FOUND BY A PIPELINE HELICOPTER PLT WHERE IT HAD CRASHED AT THE 4700 LEVEL OF THE PASS. THE PIPELINE PLT REPORTED THE VISIBILITY WAS 1/2 MI IN SNOW & THE CEILING WAS 100 FT OBSCURED AT THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE PASS. WITNESSES AT THE BASE OF THE PASS ESTIMATED THE CEILING WAS 100 TO 200 FT, THE VISIBILITY WAS 1/2 TO 1 MI & LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WAS FALLING. THE CRASH SITE WAS LOCATED JUST BEYOND THE POINT WHERE THE PIPELINE TRANSITIONED FROM AN ABOVE GROUND INSTALLATION TO A BELOW GROUND INSTALLATION. NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/17/1983 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1500 |
| Event Time Zone | Atlantic Standard Time |
| Event City | BETTLES |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99726 |
| Event Date Year | 1983 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 200 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 200 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -4 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Moderate |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2642 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 22945 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:15AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4060W |
| NTSB Number | ANC83FA071 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-32-300 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-32-300 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 32-40089 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3400 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | STEVE'S CONSTRUCTION CO. INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 2646 SECCUSION DRIVE |
| Aircraft Owner City | ANCHORAGE |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99504 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Business |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | FAI |
| Departure City | FAIRBANKS |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1325 |
| Departure Time Zone | AST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | SCC |
| Destination City | DEADHORSE |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Climb |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:36AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |