What happened
On June 24, 2025, at approximately 0934 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registration N3609Q, was involved in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. The aircraft was operating as a Part 91 instructional flight, having departed from Palmer Municipal Airport (PAQ) at approximately 0900.
During the flight, a witness at Big Lake Airport (BGQ) observed the aircraft flying over the trees at the south end of the runway. The aircraft then executed a sharp left turn toward the runway and struck the ground just north of the runway. The accident resulted in 2 serious injuries to the pilot and flight instructor, with 0 fatalities.
The investigation
An examination of the wreckage by the NTSB investigator-in-charge revealed that the right wing fuel tank contained approximately 22 gallons of fuel. While the left-wing fuel tank connection was damaged by the impact, no fuel was observed in the left wing.
The cockpit fuel selector, which can be set to OFF, LEFT TANK, or RIGHT TANK, was found in the OFF position. The selector was jammed due to impact damage and could not be moved following the accident. The aircraft owner stated that the pilot would have typically started the flight with the selector in the RIGHT TANK position.