Date & Time:
Jun 25, 1990 at 1430 LT
Type of aircraft:
Cessna 207 Skywagon/Stationair
Operator:
Trail Lake Flying Service
Registration:
N9985M
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Seward - Seward
MSN:
207-0775
YOM:
1984
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
4
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
5
Aircraft flight hours:
3391
Circumstances:
Two airplanes departed Seward within minutes of each other on a local flightseeing trip, and their flight routes were to be the same. After reaching Aialak Bay, this airplane passed the other and started the return trip to seward. The pass they would normally use was obscured by clouds. The peninsula that separated Aialak Bay and Seward was the only part of land that was obscured by weather. The bases of the clouds were at 1,200 feet msl. The airplane was located on the northeast side, at the 2,700 foot level of a mountain, and the wreckage was scattered along 330°. The pilot had been hired less than 2 months before the accident as a ground handler and fueler, and for pilot training. Two days before the accident he was authorized to fly part 135 flightseeing trips.
Probable cause:
The pilot-in-command's attempt to fly under visual flight rules while in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing factors to the accident were the low ceiling and surrounding mountainous terrain.
Final Report:
N9985M.pdf89.18 KB
