ASN Aircraft accident Volpar Turboliner N401CK Kodiak Airport, AK (ADQ)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Monday 14 June 2004
Time:11:37
Type:Silhouette image of generic B18T model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Volpar Turboliner
Operator:Bellair
Registration: N401CK
MSN: AF-60
First flight: 1952
Total airframe hrs:16000
Engines: 2 Garrett TPE331
Crew:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:10 km (6.3 mls) E of Kodiak Airport, AK (ADQ) (   United States of America)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:Cargo
Departure airport:Anchorage-Ted Stevens International Airport, AK (ANC/PANC), United States of America
Destination airport:Kodiak Airport, AK (ADQ/PADQ), United States of America
Narrative:
The Volpar Turboliner cargo plane, a stretched turbine conversion of a Beechcraft C-45G Expeditor, departed Anchorage-Ted Stevens International Airport on a commercial cargo flight at 09:55 local time. As the flight approached the destination airport of Kodiak, visibility decreased below the 2 mile minimum required for the initiation of the approach. The pilot entered a holding pattern, and waited for the weather to improve. After holding for about 45 minutes, the ceiling and visibility had improved, and the flight was cleared for the ILS 25 instrument approach. After the pilot's initial contact with ATCT personnel, no further radio communications were received. When the flight did not reach the destination airport, it was reported overdue. A search in the area of an ELT signal located the accident airplane on a hilly, tree-covered island.

About one minute after the accident, a special weather observation was reporting, in part: Wind, 060 degrees (true) at 11 knots; visibility, 2 statute miles in light rain and mist; clouds and sky condition, 500 feet broken, 900 feet broken, 1,500 feet overcast; temperature, 46 degrees F; dew point, 44 degrees F. According to FAA records, the company was not authorized to conduct single pilot IFR operations in the accident airplane, and that the accident pilot was the operator's chief pilot. Toxicology tests revealed cocaethylene and chlorpheniramine in the pilot's blood and urine.

Probable Cause:

CAUSE: The pilot's failure to follow proper IFR procedures by not adhering to the published missed approach procedures, which resulted in an in-flight collision with tree-covered terrain. Factors contributing to the accident were a low ceiling, fog, rain, and the insufficient operating standards of company management by allowing unauthorized single pilot instrument flight operations. Additional factors were the pilot's impairment from cocaine, alcohol, and over the counter cold medication, and the FAA's inadequate medical certification of the pilot and follow-up of his known substance abuse problems.

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: NTSB
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 3 months
Accident number: ANC04FA063
Download report: Summary report

Classification:
Flightcrew member's alcohol, drug usage
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground

Sources:
» NTSB


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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 Anchorage-Ted Stevens International Airport, AK to Kodiak Airport, AK as the crow flies is 403 km (252 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few 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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