EAGLE RIVER, AK, USA
N8739B
Cessna 172
Two certificated airline transport pilots and a passenger planned an aerial scouting flight, looking for sheep in mountainous terrain. After departure, the flight did not return and the airplane was located crashed into the side of a steep box canyon. All of the occupants were located outside of, and downslope from the wreckage, having egressed from the wreckage through the left door. The manner and circumstances of their egress was not determined. No mechanical malfunction of the engine or airframe were found.
History of the Flight On September 2, 1996, at an estimated time of 1730 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 172, N8739B, collided with mountainous terrain about 9 miles east of Eagle River, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, registered to the first pilot, was destroyed. The first pilot and second pilot, both certificated airline transport pilots, and the passenger received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A VFR flight plan was filed by the first pilot. The flight originated at the Anchorage International airport, Anchorage, Alaska, at 1640. Personal friends and relatives reported the second pilot and the passenger arranged for the accident flight with the first pilot. The passenger was planning to go sheep hunting and the purpose of the flight was to conduct an aerial scouting of the Chugach Mountains for sheep. At 1526:02, the first pilot contacted the Kenai Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) by telephone and filed a local area, round robin, VFR flight plan. The flight plan included a departure time of 1600 from Anchorage, and a route of flight than included Peters Creek and Eklutna Lake, located within 30 nautical miles northeast of Anchorage, with a return to Anchorage. The time enroute was listed as 2 hours, with 4 hours of fuel on-board the airplane. The first pilot listed her name as the pilot of the airplane. The first pilot then inquired about the radio frequency to open the flight plan. She also inquired about any notices to airmen (NOTAMs) for the Birchwood Airport, indicating she would probably conduct some touch and go landings. At 1602:05, the first pilot contacted the Anchorage International Airport, air traffic control tower (ATCT), ground controller by radio. She requested to taxi from a parking position near the center of the airport ("C" parking area), to Signature Flight Support, located near the east end of the airport, for fuel. Fuel service personnel at Signature Flight Support reported the first pilot was observed in the left front seat of the airplane when it taxied up to a parking spot for fuel. The fuel truck was busy at another location on the airport and all occupants of the airplane disembarked. The second pilot was observed to be wearing a white "T" shirt with a "Flying Tigers" logo on the shirt. After fueling the airplane, all occupants reboarded the airplane and the fueler removed a chock from the nose wheel tire. He did not recall where the occupants were seated in the airplane. At 1634:57, the second pilot's voice was heard on the Anchorage ATCT clearance delivery radio frequency and he requested an eastbound departure. The second pilot was provided with a departure control radio frequency and a transponder code. At 1635:53, the second pilot contacted the Kenai AFSS on the radio and opened the VFR flight plan previously filed by the first pilot. At 1637:11, the second pilot contacted Anchorage ATCT ground control with a request to taxi from Signature Flight Support for takeoff. The second pilot was cleared to taxi to runway 24L. During the read back to the controller at 1637:37, the second pilot stated: "okay, 24L, hold short 24R ah for Fedex, er for 8739B." At 1640:05, the second pilot contacted the Anchorage ATCT local controller for takeoff and was cleared for a left downwind departure. After takeoff, the second pilot contacted the Anchorage ATCT departure controllers at 1645:34 and advised the flight was heading to the Eagle River, Alaska, area. At 1659:42, radar service and traffic advisories were terminated with the accident airplane. The second pilot acknowledged the radio transmission. No further communication was received from the airplane. The airplane was considered overdue at 2035 by the FAA. The spouse of the passenger contacted the Kenai AFSS at 2248 and officially reported the flight overdue. Search personnel indicated the area of the passenger's hunting permit narrowed the area of the search and the wreckage was located on September 3, 1996, at 0215. The wreckage was located about 4,400 feet mean sea level on steep mountainous terrain. The accident occurred during the hours of daylight at latitude 61 degrees, 16.894 minutes north and longitude 149 degrees, 12.480 minutes west. Crew Information The first pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane multi-engine land rating. The pilot held commercial pilot privileges with airplane single-engine land and sea ratings. In addition, the first pilot held a flight instructor certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. The most recent first-class medical certificate was issued to the pilot on July 12, 1996, and contained no limitations. According to the first pilot's logbook, her total aeronautical experience consisted of about 1,760 hours. In the preceding 90 and 30 days prior to the accident, the logbook listed a total of 13 and 4 hours respectively. The second pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane multi-engine land rating. He held commercial pilot privileges with airplane single-engine land and sea ratings. In addition, the second pilot held a flight instructor certificate with airplane single and multi-engine and instrument airplane ratings. The second pilot also held a flight engineer certificate. The most recent first-class medical certificate was issued to the second pilot on December 2, 1995, and contained no limitations. No personal flight records were located for the second pilot and the aeronautical experience listed on page 3 of this report was obtained from a review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center located in Oklahoma City. On the pilot's application for medical certificate, dated December 2, 1995, the pilot indicated that his total aeronautical experience consisted of about 10,120 hours, of which 300 were accrued in the previous 6 months. Aircraft Information The airplane had accumulated a total time in service of 5,480.4 hours. Examination of the maintenance records revealed that the most recent annual inspection of the engine and airframe was accomplished on July 26, 1996, 3.5 flight hours before the accident. At the time of the accident, the engine had accrued 1,698.8 hours since being overhauled. Fueling records at Signature Flight Support, Anchorage, established that the aircraft was last fueled on the accident date with the addition of 14 gallons of 100LL octane aviation fuel. The fueler reported that both fuel tanks were topped off. The fuel was purchased by the second pilot. Northern Lights Avionics, Anchorage, had performed radio maintenance on the accident airplane on May 14, 1996. The previously installed communication and navigation radio system was replaced. An avionics technician reported he did not recall any intercom system installed in the airplane. He recalled the airplane was equipped with a push-to-talk radio switch that was attached by Velcro to the left side control yoke. He did not recall a headphone jack on the right side of the airplane and did not recall if the airplane had a hand-held microphone jack installed. Meteorological Information The closest official weather observation station is an automated weather observation system (AWOS) at the Birchwood Airport, Chugiak, Alaska, located 12 nautical miles west northwest of the accident site. At 1735, a surface observation was reporting in part: Sky condition and ceiling, not reported; visibility, 10 miles; temperature, 63 degrees F; dew point, 45 degrees F; wind, 280 degrees at 3 knots; altimeter, 30.22 inHg. At 1655, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska, located 17 nautical miles west southwest of the accident site, was reporting in part: Sky condition and ceiling, 5,500 feet scattered, 20,000 feet scattered; visibility, 7 miles; temperature, 66 degrees F; dew point, 43 degrees F; wind, 240 degrees at 6 knots; altimeter, 30.20 inHg. At 1750, Merrill Field, Anchorage, located 19 miles southwest of the accident site, was reporting in part: Sky condition and ceiling, 20,000 feet scattered; visibility, 135 miles; temperature, 66 degrees F; dew point, 45 degrees F; wind, calm; altimeter, 30.19 inHg. Communications Review of the air-ground radio communications tapes maintained by the FAA at the Anchorage ATCT facility and the Kenai AFSS, revealed the first and second pilot successively and successfully communicated with the positions of ground control, clearance delivery, local control, approach/departure control, and AFSS. No unusual communications were noted between any FAA facility and the accident airplane during the review of the tapes. A transcript of the air to ground communications between the airplane and all involved FAA ATC facilities is included in this report. Wreckage and Impact Information The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) examined the airplane wreckage at the accident site on September 3rd and 4th, 1996. The airplane was observed at the point of rest with the nose of the airplane oriented on a magnetic heading of 255 degrees. The airplane was pointed upslope on about 35 degree tundra and rock covered terrain. The area of the accident was the side of a steep box canyon. The airplane was located about 100 feet below a small saddle. No ground impact scars were noted on the ground prior the airplane's point of rest. (All heading/bearings noted in this report are oriented toward magnetic north.) All of the airplane's major components were found at the main wreckage area. The fuselage came to rest with a left wing low attitude in relation to the ground. The left wing lift strut was parallel to and touching the ground. The left main gear was attached to the fuselage and crushed upward and aft against the left side and underside of the fuselage. The right main gear was attached to the fuselage and relatively undamaged. A tire impression in the soil was noted next to the right main gear tire. The nose wheel was crushed aft and upward and displaced slightly to the right. The front windshield was broken and shattered. Pieces of the windshield were located on the ground and were oriented in a fan shape pattern at a 45 degree angle to the left and forward of the nose of the airplane. Both wings remained attached to the fuselage. Both wing lift struts were attached to their respective wing and fuselage attach points. The left wing was bent upward about 6 degrees and the leading edge of the left wing exhibited upward and aft curling, from the lift strut attach point to the wing tip. The left wing forward carry-through attach point was broken at the upper end of the forward door post and displaced upward. The right wing leading edge was undamaged. The fuselage carry-through was broken and buckled at the right wing rear attach point. The right wing was bent upward about 20 degrees, about 2 feet outboard from the wing root. The manually operated wing flaps were found extended about 10 degrees. The manual flap handle was in the retracted position, but the floor of the cockpit to which the handle is mounted, was buckled upward and deformed. The empennage was undamaged. The tail cone was buckled and wrinkled and displaced downward, about 3 feet aft of the main gear attach point. The aft end of the airplane's venturi, installed on the right side of the airplane, was crushed in a forward direction and deformed in a "U" shape. The leading edge of the right wing lift strut, positioned just aft of the venturi, exhibited impact damage and missing paint. The flight control surfaces and flap assemblies remained connected to their respective attach points. The elevator trim tab was positioned 5 degrees tab down. The continuity of the flight control cables was established to the cockpit area. Both of the airplane's control yokes were displaced in a downward direction and slightly to the left. An aircraft headset with microphone was located lying on the separated left door of the airplane. The cord of the headset was attached to the airplane by a push-to-talk switch on the left control yoke. A cabin speaker switch was found in the "SPK" position. The propeller assembly remained connected to the engine crankshaft. One propeller blade exhibited leading edge destruction and slight forward bending of the tip, chordwise scratching, extensive trailing edge "S" bending about 12 inches inboard from the tip, and torsional twisting. The second blade exhibited torsional twisting near the propeller root. The outboard end of the blade was not visible and was embedded in the ground. The underside of the engine cowling and the fuselage was crushed upward to about a 45 degree angle from the propeller spinner to the bottom of edge of the firewall. The engine sustained impact damage to the underside and front portion of the engine. It was canted about 20 degrees to the right. The engine firewall exhibited impact impressions from contact with the magnetos and generator. Due to the position of the propeller, the engine could not be rotated. Removal and examination of the top cylinder spark plugs revealed no unusual combustion signatures. The plugs were dry and the massive electrodes exhibited a gray appearance. The ceramic insulators were free of any debris. The left front seat of the airplane was separated from the airplane and located outside the left door opening. The seat frame was crushed and deformed in a downward direction and also deformed in a forward and left direction. The right seat remained attached to the seat rails. It was deformed downward and toward the left. The left front portion of the seat bottom was crushed down and over the top of the fuel selector handle and the aft pivot point of the flap handle. Medical and Pathological Information A postmortem examination of all occupants was conducted under the authority of the Alaska State Medical Examiner, 5700 E. Tudor, Anchorage, Alaska, on September 4, 1997. The medical examiner attributed the cause of death for all occupants to multiple impact injuries. The medical examiner reported the first pilot's hands exhibited bruising over the base of the left thumb. Bruising and abrasions were noted over the base of the right thumb and fingers. No hand fractures were noted. Abrasions and bruising was noted on the back of the second pilot's left hand. No hand bone fractures were noted during the examination of the second pilot. A toxicological examination of all occupants was conducted by the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI). The examination of the first pilot revealed the presence of 12.500 ug/ml of Salicylate and 9.400 ug/ml of Acetaminophen in the urine. Quinine was found in the urine of the second pilot. Survival Aspects The airplane was not equipped with shoulder harnesses. The right door of the airplane was unable to be opened due to deformation of the fuselage. The left door was separated from the fuselage at its attaching hinges. The door was lying on the ground next to the fuselage. The left front seat separated from its attaching seat rails and was located outside of the left door opening. All three occupants of the airplane were found outside of the airplane. Evidence of blood smearing was noted on the inside of the left front door post and cabin door, the outside of the airplane on the left front door post, the left wing strut, the left side of the fuselage, and the left horizontal stabilizer. The Alaska State Troopers reported the first pilot was found downslope of the airplane about 50 feet. The passenger was located about 80 feet downslope of the airplane. The second pilot was located about 300 feet downslope of the wreckage, at the base of a small rock cliff. Search and Rescue The airplane was located by military search personnel using night vision and forward looking infrared equipment. No electronic locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received. Search personnel reported since no ELT signal was received from the airplane, no attempt was made to locate and silence the airplane's ELT unit.
The first pilot's failure to maintain sufficient distance/altitude from terrain. A box canyon and mountainous terrain are factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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