Palmer

The pilot, co-pilot and the passenger departed on a day VFR cross country flight in a large, 1950's era former military transportb category airplane to deliver cargo. The pilot did not file a flight plan, and had no communication with any air traffic control facility during the flight. While en route, witnesses saw the airplane fly slowly across a valley near the entrance of a national park, which was not the intended route of flight. The airplane suddenly pitched up, stalled, and dived into wooded terrain within the park. Two pilot-rated witnesses said the engines were operating at the time of the accident, and the landing gear was retracted. An on-scene examination of the burned airplane structure and engines revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical deficiencies, or any evidence that the cargo had shifted during the flight. A former military pilot who had experience in the accident type airplane, stated that the airplane was considered unrecoverable from a stall, and for that reason, pilots did not typically practice stalls in it. He also indicated that if a problem was encountered with one of the two piston engines on the airplane, the auxiliary jet engine on the affected side should be started to provide additional thrust. Given the lack of mechanical deficiencies discovered during postaccident inspection, the absence of any distress communications, and the fact that neither of the two auxiliary jet engines had been started to assist in the event of a piston engine malfunction, it is likely the pilot allowed the airplane to lose airspeed and enter a low altitude stall from which he was unable to recover.

During the takeoff roll, while passing 45 knots indicated airspeed, ice formed between the inner and outer panes of the airplane's windshield, obscuring the crew's vision. The flight crew aborted the takeoff, the airplane drifted off the left side of the snow covered runway, and caught fire. The crew reported the airplane and windshield were cold soaked and the temperature was -10 degrees Fahrenheit. The windshield anti-ice system blows air from a combustion heater between the windshield glass panes. The air source for the heater, once the airplane has forward airspeed, is two leading edge wing scoops. The crew told the NTSB investigator that the taxi time was too short for the windshield to warm up, and that during the taxi, snow was circulated around the airplane and into the wing scoops.

Witnesses observed the aircraft on final approach with its gear down then the nose pitched up. The aircraft rolled left and crashed into trees. The aircraft's cockpit, cabin, engine nacelles, cargo and portions of the wings were destroyed by post-impact fire. Post accident examination of the aircraft revealed the landing gear was in the up and locked position and the flaps were at 30°. This is consistent with a go-around configuration. No mechanical malfunction/failure could be determined. The aircraft had a restricted category airworthiness certificate. The cargo area contained two fuel tanks and assorted items (oil stove, tools, 55 gallon drum and hoses). The pilot was type rated in this aircraft. The runway length listed in the Alaska supplement was 1,000 feet longer than the actual runway length. The runway was glazed with ice. Both occupants were killed.

Few minutes after takeoff from Palmer, the pilot elected to gain height when the single engine airplane struck a mountain ridge and crashed. A passenger was killed while both other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Enroute, an engine caught fire. The crew tried to extinguish the fire, without success. Due to the situation, all seven occupants decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in flames in a field. All seven crew members were unhurt while the aircraft was destroyed. It was confirmed that the fire spread from the engine to the wing that detached shortly later, causing the aircraft to crash.