Narrative:
A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan airplane, N803TH, sustained substantial damage after impacting steep, mountainous terrain about 8 miles south of Chignik Lake Airport, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as Flight 341 by Grant Aviation as a scheduled commuter flight. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the airplane's point of departure. Flight 341 departed Port Heiden Airport, Alaska, at 13:05, destined for Perryville Airport, Perryville, Alaska.
Flight 341 originated at the King Salmon Airport, Alaska, with one passenger who disembarked at the Port Heiden Airport. The scheduled flight continued to the Perryville Airport, which was about 80 miles away, with 1,322 lbs. of mail and no passengers.
After an ELT signal of the aircraft was received, a search mission was initiated. At 17:30, the wreckage was located.
The wreckage came to rest in deep snow at about 2,993 feet on the west face of a treeless, steep mountain in the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge of the Aleutian Range. It is located about 500 feet from the top of the mountain ridge and partially submerged in the snow on its left side with the nose section under the snow pack. The fragmented wreckage was contained in an area of about 100 feet by 40 feet, on a heading of about 030 ° magnetic, with the right wing separated and located about 40 feet forward of the main wreckage. The wings and fuselage sustained substantial damage.
At 12:39, an aviation special weather report (SPECI) from the Chignik Airport (the closest weather reporting facility) reported, in part: wind variable at 4 knots; visibility 10 statute miles, light rain; sky condition, overcast at 1,700 feet; temperature 39 ° F, dewpoint 36 ° F; altimeter, 29.51 inHg.
Probable Cause: "The pilot's continued visual flight rules flight into an area of mountainous terrain and instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). Contributing to the accident was the company's failure to provide the pilot with CFIT-avoidance recurrent simulator training as required by their CFIT avoidance program and the company's inadequate flight risk assessment processes, which did not account for the known weather hazards relevant to the accident route of flight."
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
» KTVA
» NTSB
accident date: 01-05-2017
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N803TH
accident date: 01-05-2017
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N803TH
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Monday 1 May 2017 |
| Time: | 0.24429488182068 |
| Type: |  Cessna 208B Grand Caravan |
| Operator: | Grant Aviation |
| Registration: | N803TH |
| MSN: | 208B0321 |
| First flight: | 1992 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 17990 |
| Engines: | 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Chignik, AK ( United States of America)
|
| Crash site elevation: | 912 m (2992 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Domestic Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Port Heiden Airport, AK (PTH/PAPH), United States of America |
| Perryville Airport, AK (KPV/PAPE), United States of America | |
| Flightnumber: | GV341 |
A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan airplane, N803TH, sustained substantial damage after impacting steep, mountainous terrain about 8 miles south of Chignik Lake Airport, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as Flight 341 by Grant Aviation as a scheduled commuter flight. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the airplane's point of departure. Flight 341 departed Port Heiden Airport, Alaska, at 13:05, destined for Perryville Airport, Perryville, Alaska.
Flight 341 originated at the King Salmon Airport, Alaska, with one passenger who disembarked at the Port Heiden Airport. The scheduled flight continued to the Perryville Airport, which was about 80 miles away, with 1,322 lbs. of mail and no passengers.
After an ELT signal of the aircraft was received, a search mission was initiated. At 17:30, the wreckage was located.
The wreckage came to rest in deep snow at about 2,993 feet on the west face of a treeless, steep mountain in the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge of the Aleutian Range. It is located about 500 feet from the top of the mountain ridge and partially submerged in the snow on its left side with the nose section under the snow pack. The fragmented wreckage was contained in an area of about 100 feet by 40 feet, on a heading of about 030 ° magnetic, with the right wing separated and located about 40 feet forward of the main wreckage. The wings and fuselage sustained substantial damage.
At 12:39, an aviation special weather report (SPECI) from the Chignik Airport (the closest weather reporting facility) reported, in part: wind variable at 4 knots; visibility 10 statute miles, light rain; sky condition, overcast at 1,700 feet; temperature 39 ° F, dewpoint 36 ° F; altimeter, 29.51 inHg.
Probable Cause:
Probable Cause: "The pilot's continued visual flight rules flight into an area of mountainous terrain and instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). Contributing to the accident was the company's failure to provide the pilot with CFIT-avoidance recurrent simulator training as required by their CFIT avoidance program and the company's inadequate flight risk assessment processes, which did not account for the known weather hazards relevant to the accident route of flight."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
VFR flight in IMC Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
Sources:
» FAA» KTVA
» NTSB
Photos
accident date: 01-05-2017
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N803TH
accident date: 01-05-2017
type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: N803TH
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Port Heiden Airport, AK to Perryville Airport, AK as the crow flies is 121 km (75 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.
Distance from Port Heiden Airport, AK to Perryville Airport, AK as the crow flies is 121 km (75 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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