Gambell

The pilot was attempting to transport by-pass mail from Nome to Gambell, Alaska. The pilot stated that the takeoff run was normal until he rotated the nose of the airplane to lift off. The pilot said the airplane pitched up and he had to apply full forward control yoke pressure while he adjusted the pitch trim to nose down. The airplane rolled to the left and the pilot used the rudders to level the wings prior to impact. The information provided by the company, the FAA, and the post office, indicate that the airplane weighed 10,114 pounds at the time of the takeoff. The certificated maximum gross weight was 10,100 pounds. A weight and balance calculation, based upon information obtained from the company and the placarded limits on the airplane, showed a center of gravity of 121.9 inches. The center of gravity limits shown in the airplane manual are 113 to 120.5 inches. The wreckage examination showed that the elevator trim indicator was indicating full nose up trim.

The business flight departed Lavrentya, Russia with what the pilot-in-command estimated to be 50 gallons of usable fuel on board the airplane and landed in Provideniya, Russia around 40 minutes later with about 30 gallons of fuel remaining. The plane took on an additional 30 gallons of fuel. The pilot said that he normally departed Provideniya with 120 gallons of fuel but that there was no additional fuel available. The flight departed Provideniya with what the pilot estimated to be 1 hour and 45 minutes of fuel endurance and landed in Gamble, Alaska on St Lawrence Island approximately 25 minutes later. The pilot did not dip stick the fuel tanks to verify the amount of fuel on board. The pilot did not check on the availability of fuel in Gamble. The right and left engines lost power approximately 40 minutes and 50 minutes, respectively after departing gamble. The airplane did not carry personal flotation devices for the passengers.

While cruising at an altitude of 2,000 feet in marginal weather conditions on a mail flight from Gambell to Nome, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain and crashed. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Wien Air Alaska Flight 99, a Fairchild F27B , was a regularly scheduled passenger and cargo flight from Nome, Alaska, to Savoonga and Gambell, two villages on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. The captain's IFR flight plan, as filed with the Nome Flight Service Station (FSS), indicated a route of flight from Nome to Savoonga, via Island Intersection, then to Gambell, with a return to Nome via Island Intersection. The requested altitude was 12,000 feet and the listed alternate airports were Galena and Nome. At 1216, Flight 99 departed Nome and landed at Savoonga at 1306. The aircraft departed Savoonga at 1327 with an estimated time en route of 15 minutes to Gambell. There were 32 persons on board, 28 passengers and 4 crewmembers. When the Wien agent at Gambell heard Flight 99's radio transmissions after takeoff from Savoonga, she activated the Gambell Non Directional Beacon (NDB) . According to the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) transcript, the crew identified the Gambell NDB shortly after departing Savoonga and contacted the Wien agent at Gambell. The crew gave their estimated time of arrival and requested the weather. The agent replied, "Our current weather is partial obscured sky. Visibility 1 to 1/2 miles ... 1 mile to 1/2 mile with ... and fog, Temperature is 47°, wind is calm, altimeter 29.70." Soon thereafter, Flight 99 questioned the visibility; the agent replied that it was, "sometimes about 5 miles, it's very hard to tell..." When the flight arrived in the Gambell area, the captain, who was flying the aircraft, remarked to the first officer that fog appeared to be a problem. He also stated, "We'll take a shot from this way and if we can't make it, we'll come around and hit it from that side. If we can't make it from there, we'll turn out and (come in underneath it)." The pilot then made several attempts to land. According to some surviving passengers, the aircraft descended to a low altitude over the tundra to the south of the airport during one of the approaches. During another of the approaches, ground witnesses saw the aircraft make a low pass down the runway and then a right turn out to sea before it disappeared into the fog. Some of the survivors, including the flight attendant, believed that the aircraft touched down on this approach. The CVR indicates that the crew had the runway in sight but decided to execute a missed approach because they were too far down the runway to land safely. Flight data recorder (FDR) information shows that the aircraft descended to within a few feet of the surface. According to correlated CVR/FDR information, the aircraft then turned right, flew north, and make a relatively steep turn to the right. During this turn, the first officer said that a 155° heading inbound would be perfect. Cockpit conversations during the rollout indicated that the flight passed the NDB while on a heading of 140°. The captain then called for final flaps and landing gear. When last observed by ground witnesses, the aircraft was heading southeast. It flew over a beach and near boat racks located about 240 yards northeast of the NDB. It continued its course and passed over the eastern end of some newly constructed houses just north of Troutman Lake, which is located between the runway and Sevuokuk Mountain. Ground witnesses stated that the landing gear was lowered before they saw the aircraft disappear into the fog. Ground witnesses and survivors of the crash generally agreed that there was a considerable amount of patchy fog in the area and that visibility ranged from 1/4 to 1 1/2 miles. A heading of 140° was maintained for about 28 seconds until the aircraft struck Sevuokuk Mountain at an altitude of 424 feet. Several of the passengers could see the ground and were aware of their position relative to the village of Gambell. Some of them realized that the aircraft was going to hit the mountain and braced themselves. Shortly after the aircraft entered the fog and just before impact, some witnesses and survivors heard an increase in engine sound. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and three crew members and seven passengers were killed. All other occupants were injured.