Anchorage-Merrill Field

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.

Weather conditions on the day of the accident were reported to be extremely variable. Initially, when the pilot obtained a weather briefing, VFR flight was not recommended. Later, the weather improved and the pilot elected to proceed on the flight. While en route, he encountered snow showers and descended to 500 feet agl to insure best visibility. The pilot stated that without warning, he encountered a snow squall and whiteout conditions while he was flying over a ridge immediately west of the Kustatan River. He attempted a 180 turn, but the aircraft crashed on snow covered terrain. One occupant, an infant, died from impact injuries. The survivors were located about 21 hours after the accident. The ELT switch was found in the 'off' position; no ELT signal was heard by other pilots. Another pilot who encountered weather at about the same time and place diverted to another airport.

Aircraft departed Merrill Field at 1110 with 220 gallons of fuel. Two hours later both engines quit while flying at an altitude of 6,500 feet approximately 10 miles offshore. The crew was unable to restart the engines and the aircraft was ditched into 12 to 15 foot waves with a 40 knot surface wind. The right float was torn off and both engine mounts broke. The aircraft sank at 1745 and was not recovered. The aircraft had an annual inspection 4 days prior to the accident. The fueling facilities were checked and found free of water or other contaminants.

The single engine airplane departed Anchorage-Merrill Field on a taxi flight to Tyonek, on the Cook Inlet. Just after liftoff, while in initial climb, the engine lost power. The airplane lost height then struck a hangar and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed. There were no casualties on ground.

Crashed while taking off from Anchorage-Merrill Field Airport due to an excessive accumulation of frost on wings and fuselage. There were no casualties.

The crew was engaged in a local training flight. After takeoff from runway 24, while in initiale climb, the airplane suffered two consecutive stalls then banked left and right. It lost height and crashed in a huge explosion, killing both pilots.