Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain crash, Dec 23, 1987 (6 killed)
Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain accident on December 23, 1987 near Kenai, Alaska, United States with 6 fatalities. Cause: Failure of the No. 3...
- Date: December 23, 1987
- Aircraft: Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain
- Location: Kenai, Alaska, United States
- Fatalities: 6
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Failure of the No. 3 cylinder of the right engine during a critical phase of flight, combined with the pilot's mishandling of the emergency, which allowed the aircraft to descend into terrain (NTSB summary report NTSB/AAR-89/03/SUM).
A South Central Air Piper Navajo Chieftain (N496SC) on a scheduled commuter flight to Anchorage crashed shortly after takeoff from Kenai Municipal Airport on 23 December 1987. Six of the eight people aboard were killed and two survived. The NTSB found a failed cylinder in the right engine and the pilot's mishandling of the emergency.