Research
The whole record, reshaped by a question.
Every count below is the Board's own coding across the cases in scope — findings, occurrences, phases, recommendations, the evidence held. Click any bar to make it the filter. No fleet-exposure data exists here, so these are cases, never rates.
AircraftAllBoeing / McDonnell DouglasAirbusEmbraerBombardier / De HavillandBellSikorskyRobinsonCessnaPiperBeechcraft
OccurrenceAllTurbulence encounterCollision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) Loss of control in flightGround collisionFire/smoke (non-impact)Cabin safety eventPowerplant sys/comp malf/failSys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)TailstrikeControlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)Air traffic eventRunway excursion
Showing 41 cases · Piper
41
cases in this slice
41
fatal accidents
109
lives lost
40
with a probable cause
19
with coded findings
1
safety recommendations
The record over time
cases per year by cohort, and the lives lost — click a year to focus on itCases per year
Major investigationPart 121 airlinePart 135 fatal
Fatalities per year
Fatalities
Why accidents happen
19 coded casesthe Board's findings taxonomy — causal findings in the probable cause, contributing factors beside them; occurrences and the phase of flight the defining event sat inPersonnel issues16 cases · 31 causal · 4 contributing
- Task performance — Use of equip/info, Planning/preparation12
- Action/decision — Info processing/decision, Action9
- Psychological — Attention/monitoring, Perception/orientation/illusion5
- Physical — Impairment/incapacitation3
Aircraft13 cases · 21 causal · 0 contributing
- Aircraft oper/perf/capability — Performance/control parameters, Aircraft capability10
- Aircraft power plant — Engine (turbine/turboprop)1
- Aircraft systems — Electrical power system1
- Fluids/misc hardware — Fluids1
- Aircraft structures — Doors1
Environmental issues10 cases · 9 causal · 9 contributing
- Conditions/weather/phenomena — Light condition, Ceiling/visibility/precip10
Organizational issues5 cases · 8 causal · 2 contributing
- Support/oversight/monitoring — Safety programs, Training3
- Management — Policy/procedure3
Not determined3 cases · 3 causal · 0 contributing
- Not determined — (general)3
Solid = cited in the probable cause · outlined = contributing factor · hover a row for the most-cited specifics.
Occurrences coded
- Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) · 1 defining9
- Loss of control in flight · 5 defining6
- Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) · 6 defining6
- Unknown or undetermined · 2 defining2
- Loss of engine power (partial) · 2 defining2
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) · 1 defining1
Phase of flight of the defining event
- Enroute7
- InitialClimb7
- Maneuvering4
- Approach2
- Takeoff1
Aircraft and operators
by manufacturer family and operating rule — counts of cases, with no fleet-size denominator, so a busy family simply flies moreAircraft family
- Piper · 41 fatal41
Operators with the most cases
- Star Marianas Air · 4 lives2
- Aeronational · 2 lives1
- Air America · 1 lives1
- Air Excursions · 1 lives1
- Air Taxi · 1 lives1
- Airpac Airlines · 1 lives1
- American Medflight · 4 lives1
- Ameriflight · 1 lives1
- Big Island Air · 1 lives1
- Cal-Ore Life Flight · 4 lives1
- Cape Smythe Air Service · 5 lives1
- Cheyenne Partners · 5 lives1
What changed because of them
1 recommendations · 0 opensafety recommendations issued from these cases, by the NTSB's status of the response- Closed · acceptable 1
Issued per year
Recommendations
Reiterated most often
None reiterated.
Evidence held
what the corpus can show for this slice, year by year — a docket, decoded flight data, a transcript, photographs, controller audioWhat the record says for this slice
a pattern, not a findingthe causal findings the Board cited most often across the 19 coded cases here- Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters · Aircraft · 47%9 cases
- Task performance › Use of equip/info · Personnel issues · 47%9 cases
- Action/decision › Info processing/decision · Personnel issues · 42%8 cases
- Not determined › (general) · Not determined · 16%3 cases
- Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition · Environmental issues · 16%3 cases
- Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip · Environmental issues · 16%3 cases
- Management › Policy/procedure · Organizational issues · 16%3 cases
- Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability · Aircraft · 11%2 cases
- Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion · Personnel issues · 11%2 cases
- Psychological › Attention/monitoring · Personnel issues · 11%2 cases
- Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind · Environmental issues · 5%1 cases
- Support/oversight/monitoring › Safety programs · Organizational issues · 5%1 cases
The cases
41 of 41newest first — open any case for its recorders, transcript, photographs and analyst| Date | Case | Aircraft | Operator | Where | Outcome | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-18 | ANC26FA106 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-18-150 | Hawk Mountain Air | Northway, AK | Fatal · 2 | no docket · open |
| 2023-09-13 | ANC23FA074 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-18-150 | NEITZ AVIATION INC | St. Mary's, AK | Fatal · 1 | 25 docs |
| 2023-08-09 | ANC23FA061 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-18-150 | Willow Creek Aviation, LLC | Skwentna, AK | Fatal · 2 | 8 docs |
| 2023-07-02 | ANC23FA045 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-32-300 | Vertigo Air Taxi | Old Harbor, AK | Fatal · 2 | 8 docs |
| 2020-02-06 | ANC20FA017 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA32R | Paklook Air Inc | Tuntutuliak, AK | Fatal · 5 | 21 docs |
| 2019-12-28 | CEN20MA044 Major investigation | Piper PA 31T | Cheyenne Partners LLC | LAFAYETTE, LA | Fatal · 5 | 37 docs |
| 2019-11-30 | ANC20FA007 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-31-350 | Fly 4 You Inc | Cooper Landing, AK | Fatal · 3 | 25 docs |
| 2017-06-03 | ERA17FA195 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA23 | AIR AMERICA INC | San Juan, PR | Fatal · 1 | 27 docs |
| 2016-11-19 | WPR17FA024 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA 31T | AMERICAN MEDFLIGHT INC | Elko, NV | Fatal · 4 | 11 docs |
| 2016-07-29 | WPR16FA153 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-31T | Cal-Ore Life Flight | McKinleyville, CA | Fatal · 4 | 20 docs |
| 2016-06-16 | ERA16FA215 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA31 | AERONATIONAL INC | State College, PA | Fatal · 2 | 14 docs |
| 2014-02-27 | WPR14FA124 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA31 | Maui Island Air | Lanai City, HI | Fatal · 3 | 23 docs |
| 2013-10-06 | WPR14LA007 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA32 - 300 | STAR MARIANAS AIR INC | Tinian Island | Fatal · 3 | 18 docs |
| 2012-12-19 | WPR13FA072 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-31-350 | Ameriflight | Payson, AZ | Fatal · 1 | 60 docs |
| 2012-11-18 | WPR13LA045 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-32 | Star Marianas Air, Inc | Obyan | Fatal · 1 | 54 docs |
| 2012-08-02 | ANC12FA083 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-32-301 | AIR EXCURSIONS LLC | Hoonah, AK | Fatal · 1 | 10 docs |
| 2011-12-04 | CEN12FA097 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-32-260 | GREAT LAKES AIR INC | St. Ignace, MI | Fatal · 2 | 31 docs |
| 2011-11-29 | CEN12FA086 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-31-350 | TRANS NORTH AVIATION LTD | Riverwoods, IL | Fatal · 3 | 47 docs |
| 2009-08-08 | ERA09MA447 Major investigation | PIPER PA-32R-300 | STEVEN M ALTMAN | Hoboken, NJ | Fatal · 9 | no docket |
| 2008-01-05 | ANC08MA038 Major investigation | PIPER PA-31-350 | Servant Air, Inc. | Kodiak, AK | Fatal · 6 | 23 docs |
| 2006-12-14 | ANC07FA007 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-32-301 | Port Heiden, AK | Fatal · 2 | no docket | |
| 2006-07-11 | SEA06FA139 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-31-350 | Airpac Airlines | Easton, WA | Fatal · 1 | no docket |
| 2006-01-07 | SEA06FA039 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-34-200T | Burlington, WA | Fatal · 1 | no docket | |
| 2005-11-10 | CHI06FA030 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-23-160 | Bloomington, IL | Fatal · 1 | no docket | |
| 2005-11-08 | CHI06FA026 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-31-350 | Ankeny, IA | Fatal · 2 | no docket | |
| 2005-06-09 | DEN05FA087 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-34-200T | Telluride, CO | Fatal · 1 | no docket | |
| 2004-12-07 | NYC05FA028 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-31-350 | Vandalia, OH | Fatal · 1 | no docket | |
| 2004-09-09 | FTW04FA235 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-32R-300 | Rachel, TX | Fatal · 1 | no docket | |
| 2004-01-21 | LAX04FA102 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-32R-300 | Big Pine, CA | Fatal · 1 | no docket | |
| 2003-01-25 | DEN03MA035 Major investigation | Piper PA-31T | Lee Larson Aircraft Sales | Denver, CO | Fatal · 5 | no docket |
| 2002-07-18 | CHI02FA197 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-60 | Columbus, IN | Fatal · 1 | 52 docs | |
| 2002-03-14 | MIA02FA067 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA32R-300 | RAM AIR FREIGHT INC | Broadway, NC | Fatal · 1 | 21 docs |
| 2002-01-15 | ANC02FA010 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-32 | HAINES, AK | Fatal · 1 | 23 docs | |
| 2002-01-01 | MIA02FA048 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-31-350 | Air Taxi Inc. | Hollywood, FL | Fatal · 1 | 18 docs |
| 2001-09-24 | DEN01FA161 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-31-350 | KEY LIME AIR | PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO | Fatal · 2 | 20 docs |
| 2001-07-30 | ANC01FA093 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-32-300 | Haines, AK | Fatal · 6 | no docket | |
| 2001-03-30 | MIA01FA107 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-32RT-300 | Concord, NC | Fatal · 1 | no docket | |
| 2000-09-18 | ANC00MA125 Major investigation | Piper PA-31T3 | CAPE SMYTHE AIR SERVICE INC. | NUIQSUT, AK | Fatal · 5 | 37 docs |
| 2000-08-26 | LAX00FA310 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-31-350 | Big Island Air, Inc. | Hilo, HI | Fatal · 1 | 43 docs |
| 2000-08-15 | ATL00FA081 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA-31-350 | LUMBER CITY, GA | Fatal · 3 | no docket | |
| 2000-08-09 | DCA00MA080 Major investigation | Piper PA-31 NAVAJO | PATUXENT AIRWAYS, INC | BURLINGTON TWP., NJ | Fatal · 11 | no docket |