Crash of a Cessna 414 Chancellor in Sitka: 2 killed
Date & Time:
Aug 28, 1990 at 1216 LT
Registration:
N8180K
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Sitka – Anchorage
MSN:
414-0080
YOM:
1970
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
2867
Circumstances:
The pilot received a weather briefing and filed an IFR flight plan from Sitka to Anchorage, Alaska. During takeoff from runway 11 at Sitka, he provided a pirep to the flight service station, saying that he had entered the cloud bases at 700 feet msl. While departing, a left turn was made, and the airplane crashed on Mt Verstovia at the 1420 feet level, approximately 3 miles east of the airport. An on-scene investigation revealed the airplane struck wooded terrain while climbing on a heading of 359°. Several tree limbs had been clean cut (by the propellers); wreckage was spread over a 516 feet area. A standard instrument departure (Sitka 5 sid) was available which would have provided terrain clearance with a right turn-out from runway 11 to an initial climb heading of 280°.
Probable cause:
Improper planning/decision by the pilot, and his failure to follow IFR procedures and maintain clearance from mountainous terrain.
Final Report:
