ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 227909
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| Date: | Sunday 4 August 2019 |
| Time: | 16:27 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N7402D |
| MSN: | 22-5163 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1957 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3175 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Girdwood, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Girdwood, AK |
| Girdwood, AK | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airline transport pilot was conducting a local flight with three passengers over an area that comprised remote, mountainous terrain. One witness saw the airplane performing aggressive maneuvers earlier in the flight, and observed the airplane approached a ridge, its nose pitched up and the airplane entered a steep climb before disappearing from view. Multiple witnesses saw the airplane flying parallel to a mountain ridge before it entered a turn and began a descent. The airplane then disappeared from view followed by a plume of black smoke. None of the witnesses reported hearing any unusual sounds from the accident airplane before the accident.
Toxicological testing of the pilot detected 0.226 gm/dl ethanol in the femoral blood, which is greater than 5.5 times the regulatory limit for pilots. The concentration of ethanol in the pilot's vitreous fluid compared to femoral blood was consistent with the recent ingestion of alcohol. It is likely that at these levels the pilot experienced not only degradation of judgment, but mood and behavioral changes, altered perception of the environment, and deficits in coordination, psychomotor skills, and attention.
Although the airplane was not recovered from the accident site and could not be examined, the circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering due to the impairing effects of his recent alcohol consumption.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain due to his impairment from alcohol consumption.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Media:
Girdwood, AK, USA - Witness saw ‘aggressive flight maneuvers’ before Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer plane crash above Girdwood, report says:
— PLANES OF LEGEND (@PlanesOfLegend) August 15, 2019
ASN: https://t.co/utHboyaFNd
Press: https://t.co/9gO0cmBFIM pic.twitter.com/yX7ffoZa66
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Aug-2019 17:42 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 05-Aug-2019 17:58 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Aug-2019 19:00 | Psycho828 | Updated [Location] |
| 05-Aug-2019 19:32 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Aug-2019 19:40 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source] |
| 08-Aug-2019 08:59 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source] |
| 15-Aug-2019 19:20 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Aug-2019 19:23 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 20-Apr-2020 07:36 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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