Cessna 207 Skywagon/Stationair

Two Cessna 207 Skywagon of Air Fiordland (ZK-DQF) and Milford Sound Scenic Flights (ZK-DAX) were engaged in a charter flight from Milford Sound to Queenstown, carrying Japanese tourists. On board ZK-DQF were six passengers and one pilot and four passengers and one pilot on board ZK-DAX. En route, while cruising over the Milford Sound area, both aircraft collided. While the pilot of ZK-DAX was able to perform an emergency landing, ZK-DQF entered a dive and crashed, killing all seven occupants. All five people on board ZK-DAX were rescued but both aircraft were destroyed.

The airplane was flying a scenic tour when there was a loss of engine power. The pilot switched fuel tanks to the fullest tank and power was regained momentarily. The engine stopped. The propeller did not windmill. The pilot accomplished an off airport landing in rugged mountainous terrain. Disassembly of the engine revealed the crankshaft had fractured. Examination of the fracture revealed subsurface metal fatigue. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were seriously injured.

The airplane collided with a mountain at the 2,936 foot level. At the time of the accident the weather was 500 obscured, visibility two miles, with fog. The airplane was on a company vfr flight plan. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger received minor injuries.

Evidence indicates that the airplane flew straight into the side of a 1,320 feet mountain at the 1,280 feet level. The recommended minimum flight altitude for this designated mountainous area, at night, is 3,500 feet. There was no evidence of any mechanical problems. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The relatively low time, non-instrument rated, private pilot flew passengers to Savannah, GA. On the return flight, he made a refueling stop at Knoxville, TN. He filed no flight plan at Knoxville and no record of an en route weather briefing was found. At 2236 edt, the pilot contacted the tower and said he would 'like to VFR to Louisville with a heading of 330°. He took off at 2249 and received departure vectors until cleared on course. Radar service was terminated, 23 miles northwest of Knoxville. Subsequently, the aircraft hit trees and crashed on rising terrain near the top of a ridge, 30 miles northwest of Knoxville. Impact occurred at approximately 3,000 feet msl on a heading of 290°. Weather at Knoxville (elev 930 feet) was in part: 3,700 feet overcast, visibility 5 miles with fog and rain. No evidence of a preimpact part failure or malfunction was found during the investigation. Mountain peaks in the vicinity of the crash site were up to 3,390 feet. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Witnesses observed the aircraft for approximately 8 minutes in erratic diving, climbing, and steep-turning maneuvers which culminated in a 12° descent to the ground. The sound of the engine was heard throughout the sequence and other evidence indicated engine power at impact. The aircraft struck trees, a farm building, farm equipment, and a vehicle, then burst into flames. The wreckage was strewn along a 320 feet path. No evidence of flight control malfunction was found. The pilot claimed an upset stomach before the flight. The pilot's speech was slurred in radio transmissions. The pilot did not respond to the last radio call from Sioux Falls tower. No emergency or distress calls were received from the pilot. The postmortem examination of the pilot did not identify specific impairment but was limited due to the severity of the impact and fire damage.

The pilot of the air taxi cargo flight was operating at night in marginal VFR conditions when the aircraft struck rising terrain. The aircraft was found the next day at approximately 1000 ast, some 15 miles off the intended route. The pilot was unconscious and suffering from hypothermia and other injuries. He was taken to a hospital, but died later that day. An investigation revealed the aircraft struck the south side of Bismark mountain at approximately 2,100 feet msl while in level flight. Another pilot, who was flying in the area about 2-1/2 hours after the accident, reported that classic white-out conditions existed with moderate snow fall and ice crystals reducing forward visibility to less than 1/2 mile. The pilot (of N9979M) had been recently hired by Bering Air and had only about 23 hours of known flight time in the general area. At the time of employment, he indicated he had approximately 1,536 hours of flight time; however, only 446 hours of flight time was verified by his logbook and other sources. Minimum flight time to act as a pic in the air taxi operation was 500 hours.

The crew was completing a local training flight at Campo de Mayo AFB when the single engine airplane crashed upon landing. Both pilots were injured.

The aircraft overflew the destination due to fog. The station manager stated that after transmitting to the pilot that the weather was 'zero zero', the pilot stated that he would continue on to Red Devil and she heard it fly overhead. The first pieces of aircraft debris were found 9 miles south of crooked creek along the western shore of the Kuskokwin River at a point where it widened and the surface of the water smoothed out. No impact marks were found along either shore of the river. Other pilots in the area stated that the fog was down to the ground and extended approx 12 miles south of Crooked Creek. The engine, pilot's seat, and aircraft were not recovered.

The aircraft crashed one mile short of the runway. The accident occurred during an ILS approach in instrument meteorological conditions. During a post accident interview with the pilot he stated that he did not recognize and react in a timely manner to the gross deviation of the decision height. He continued down until striking the ground short of the runway.