NEAR SAVOONGA, AK, USA
N9367
SUD AVIATION SA 318C
AT 0746 LCL TIME, THE PLT ACTIVATED HIS VFR FLT PLAN FOR A ROUND ROBIN FLT FROM NOME, AK TO SAVOONGA, NE CAPE, SAVOONGA, SE CAPE, SAVOONGA & BACK TO NOME. AFTER ARRIVING AT SAVOONGA, THE HELICOPTER WAS REFUELED. ACCORDING TO SVRL VILLAGERS, THE WX AT THAT TIME WAS POOR, VIS 1 TO 2 MI WITH BLOWING SNOW, WIND FROM THE NORTH AT 25, GSTG 30 KTS. BFR DEPARTING, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE SUITABILITY OF THE WX, BUT THE PLT WAS CONVINCED HE COULD COMPLETE THE MISSION. AFTER DEPARTING, THE PLT WAS FLWG THE SHORELINE WHEN THE VIS BGN DECREASING. THE SURVIVING PAX RPRTD THAT THE PLT REVERSED COURSE, BUT THE VIS CONTD TO DECREASE TIL HE (THE PAX) COULD NOT SEE THE GND. HE RPRTD THAT THE PLT BGN MANIPULATING THE CONTROLS IN AN UNUSUAL MANNER & THE HELICOPTER BGN MVG LEFT & RIGHT, UP & DOWN AND ALL AROUND, THEN CRASHED. THERE WERE INDICATIONS THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED WHILE MVG REARWARD & TO THE RIGHT. ESTIMATE 285 LBS OVR THEMAX GROSS WT LMT. SRCH NOT INITIATED TIL 12 HR FLT PLAN EXPIRED, FOUND NXT MORNING, ELT SIGNAL. HYPOTHERMIA, FROST BITE.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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