ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 280343
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| Date: | Monday 11 July 2022 |
| Time: | 18:30 LT |
| Type: |  Aeronca 7EC Traveler |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | N4340C |
| MSN: | 7EC-356 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1955 |
| Engine model: | Continental C90 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Thompson Pass, near Valdez, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Valdez Municipal Airport, AK (VDZ/PAVD) |
| Sutton, AK | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight when he did not arrive at his destination as expected.
The wreckage was located three days later at an elevation of about 2,560 ft mean sea level in an area of tundra and rock-covered terrain. Examination indicated that the airplane impacted terrain in a near-vertical attitude. There were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and the propeller displayed evidence that the engine was producing power at the time of impact.
Multiple witnesses along the route of flight reported seeing the airplane flying just above the trees in very poor weather conditions. Weather camera images taken near the accident site around the time of the accident showed near-zero visibility and clouds near the surface. Although these conditions had been forecast, there was no record of the pilot obtaining weather information from an access-controlled source before he departed on the flight.
Review of the pilot's flight training history and endorsements revealed that he did not possess a valid solo cross-country endorsement for the accident flight. The pilot's flight instructor had not provided any instruction in flight by reference to instruments because the pilot's airplane was not equipped for instrument flight.
Although toxicology testing of the pilot indicated that he had used cannabis at some point before the accident, given that no psychoactive compounds were identified in blood and that urine and blood concentrations of the inactive metabolite, THC-COOH, do not necessarily reflect recent use, it is unlikely that the pilot's use of cannabis contributed to the accident.
Based on the wreckage signature and weather at the time of the accident, the pilot likely lost control of the airplane while maneuvering after encountering near-zero visibility in the dense cloud cover.
Probable Cause: The pilot's decision to continue visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions which resulted in loss of control and collision with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ANC22FA053
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumberTxt=4340C
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Jul-2022 13:48 | gerard57 | Added |
| 13-Jul-2022 13:49 | gerard57 | Updated [Source] |
| 13-Jul-2022 14:28 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Jul-2022 07:49 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Damage, Narrative] |
| 18-Jul-2022 12:09 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Jul-2022 21:35 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 01-Feb-2024 13:07 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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