ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45182
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| Date: | Wednesday 25 June 2003 |
| Time: | 11:05 |
| Type: |  Cessna R172K |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N736QK |
| MSN: | R1722703 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1977 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5107 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental IO-360-K-C-KB |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Skagway, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Juneau, AK (JUN) |
| Whitehorse, (CYXY) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The certificated private pilot departed on a VFR cross-country flight over mountainous terrain. In order for the pilot to reach his destination, the flight would need to traverse a commonly used mountain pass. Prior to departure, the pilot obtained a weather briefing that included AIRMET's for mountain obscuration along the planned route of flight. The Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) briefer advised that there were no pilot weather reports available for the area around the mountain pass. The AFSS specialist added that weather conditions, specifically in mountain passes, were forecast to deteriorate, with marginal VFR conditions, low ceilings, rain, and fog. A road maintenance crew working on a portion of the highway near the accident site, reported low clouds, fog, and reduced visibility in the area just before the accident, and they elected to stop working due to safety concerns associated with deteriorating weather conditions. One witness reported that while sitting in his vehicle, waiting for weather conditions to improve, he heard what sounded like a low flying airplane headed towards him. He said that as he looked up, he saw the accident airplane fly out of a cloud, headed north, and parallel to the east side of the valley. As the airplane continued, he heard it "clip the side of the mountain." After the airplane contacted the mountain, the wings rocked back-and-forth, and the airplane once again entered a cloudbank. He said that just after he lost sight of the airplane for the second time, the engine speed increased significantly, followed by the sound of the airplane impacting terrain. Postaccident inspection of the airplane disclosed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical anomalies.
Probable Cause: The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain. Factors associated with the accident were low ceilings, rain, and fog.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20030702X01000&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Dec-2017 18:48 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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