N3432WPiper PA-32-260 · 1966

On October 16, 2022, about 1427 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260, N3432W, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cordova, Alaska. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot departed from Yakutat Airport (PYAK), Yakutat, Alaska, and was traveling along the coast to his home in St Louis, Missouri. Near Ketchikan, Alaska, the pilot turned the airplane around due to poor weather and returned to YAK. The pilot called a friend after landing and they discussed the poor weather along the coast. The pilot told his friend that he was tired of flying in poor weather conditions and was going to return the airplane to Birchwood Airport (PABV), Birchwood, Alaska, leave the airplane there, and fly home commercially. His friend recommended that the pilot stay in Yakutat until the weather improved.

The pilot called the Alaska Flight Service Station (AK FSS) about 1220. He was provided weather information and informed that “VFR flight was not recommended.” The pilot told AK FSS that he was having trouble hearing them and said he would call them back on frequency. The pilot subsequently radioed AK FSS about 1224. The pilot was provided an abbreviated weather briefing per his request and was informed again that VFR flight in the Cordova, Alaska, area was not recommended due to the weather conditions. The pilot informed AK FSS he planned to depart PYAK about 1300. At 1426, the pilot contacted AK FSS and provided an update on his position and requested an update on weather in the Anchorage area. During the conversation, the transmission between the pilot and FSS stopped, and an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) activated.

An eyewitness saw the airplane flying in and out of the clouds before disappearing into the clouds near the accident site.

A search was initiated, and the airplane wreckage was located along a steep mountainside at an elevation about 1,866 ft mean sea level about 6 miles southwest of Cordova Municipal Airport (CKU).

Three days before the accident flight, the pilot underwent a Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 flight test evaluation in the accident airplane. The overall result of the evaluation was unsatisfactory for the tasks of preflight inspection, inflight powerplant failure, system malfunctions, emergency landing, instrument approach, short field landing, and judgment.

Merle K (Mudhole) Smith Airport (PACV), Cordova, Alaska, located 10 miles east-northeast of the accident site, at an elevation of 53 ft, was the closest official weather station to the accident site. PACV had an Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) whose longline reports were augmented by a Contract Weather Observer.

The recorded conditions at 1423 included wind from 110° at 14 knots with gusts to 24 knots, visibility 10 miles or greater, light rain, broken cloud ceiling at 1,000 ft above ground level (agl), broken ceiling at 1,400 ft agl, overcast ceiling at 2,400 ft agl, temperature 11°C, dew point temperature 9°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.50 inches of mercury (inHg). Remarks included that rain began at 1418, with a varying cloud ceiling between 700 and 1,200 ft agl.

The 1453 observation included wind from 120° at 16 knots with gusts to 27 knots, visibility 10 miles or greater, overcast ceiling at 1,200 ft agl, temperature 11°C, dew point temperature 9°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.50 inHg. Peak wind from 130° at 27 knots was recorded at 1450.

PACV was the closest site with an NWS TAF current at the time of the accident. The TAF was issued at 1302 and was valid for a 21-hour period beginning at 1300.

Between 1300 and 1600, the forecast expected wind from 120° at 12 knots with gusts to 20 knots, 6 miles visibility, light rain showers, scattered clouds at 600 ft agl, and an overcast ceiling at 1,000 ft agl. Temporary conditions were forecast between 1300 and 1600 with 4 miles visibility, light rain showers, mist, and a broken ceiling at 600 ft agl.

The wreckage was recovered from the accident site 11 months after the accident. Examination of the airplane revealed that the rudder was attached to all attachment points and moved freely, with minor impact damage to the fiberglass cap on top of the rudder. Rudder flight control cables remained attached to the rudder with an overload break at pulleys located about 5.5 ft from the lower baggage compartment wall. The elevator remained attached at all attachment points and moved freely. Elevator control cable continuity was established from the elevator to the break in the fuselage about 5.5 ft from the beginning of the lower baggage compartment wall. The elevator trim tab was relatively undamaged and was attached to all attachment points. Some movement of the trim tab was possible but was limited by impact damage to the trim cable assembly. Trim tab control continuity was established from the trim tab to the break in the fuselage about 5.5 ft into the airplane from the beginning of the lower baggage compartment wall. The right trim tab control assembly attachment bracket near the trim tab was still attached; the left side bracket was impact damaged with 45° shear lips. Visual inspection from the tail into the empennage revealed that all cables and pulleys were intact. Both sides of the empennage displayed impact damage consistent with impact with the elevator. The right side of the empennage/fuselage exhibited accordion impact damage at about a 45° angle.

The engine could be rotated by hand, but rotation was limited due to lack of equipment and personnel. The magnetos remained securely attached to the engine. Broken intake and exhaust connections allowed water to enter into the engine. The engine internals were exposed to the elements for almost a year. The spark plugs and cylinders’ interiors were rusted.

All three propeller blades exhibited rotational scoring and bending of the blades consistent with the engine producing power at the time of impact.

A Garmin GPSMAP 696 was sent to the NTSB’s Vehicle Recorder Division; however, the device did not contain any data pertaining to the accident flight.

The 62-year-old pilot held a second-class medical certificate with the limitation that he must have available glasses for near vision. At his most recent FAA medical examination on March 8, 2022, he reported taking no medications and having no medical conditions. According to the autopsy report, the pilot’s cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was accident. The medical examiner reported the pilot had 50% atherosclerotic narrowing of his left anterior descending coronary artery and 50-60% narrowing of his distal right coronary artery.

Toxicology testing detected amitriptyline in the pilot’s subclavian blood at 135 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) and in his urine at 76 ng/mL. Amitriptyline’s active metabolite nortriptyline was detected in his subclavian blood at 45 ng/mL and in his urine. Gabapentin and norcyclobenzaprine were detected in his urine, but not in his blood. Glucose was detected in the pilot’s urine at 1,491 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), but not in his vitreous fluid; his hemoglobin A1C was 5.8%.

The pilot’s toxicology detected the antidepressant amitriptyline and its active metabolite nortriptyline in the pilot’s blood at therapeutic levels.

On August 8, 2010, about 1305 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260 airplane, N3432W, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain about 35 miles southeast of Chickaloon, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal local flight under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger received minor injuries; the three remaining passengers were not injured. The flight departed the Palmer Airport, Palmer Alaska, about 1230.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 28, the pilot said he departed the airport in VFR conditions with various cloud layers throughout the area. He said he was taking visiting family friends for a flight around a local glacier he was very familiar with. The pilot reported that as he climbed toward the snowfields at the top of the glacier, the clouds rapidly filled in underneath, forming an undercast, and built up around the airplane as he attempted to climb above them. He said as the clouds surrounded the airplane, he lost sight of the ground, and found himself in instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot said the airplane had slowed to about 70 knots airspeed, and he was making a wings level pedal turn when the airplane impacted the glacier. The airplane slid 60-70 yards before stopping. The pilot said there were no mechanical problem with the airplane prior to the accident. He reported the wings and fuselage were damaged during the impact.