Date & Time:
Oct 13, 1996 at 1455 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver
Operator:
Seaside Air Services
Registration:
N64276
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Ketchikan - Rowena Lake
MSN:
1025
YOM:
1957
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
2
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
3
Captain / Total hours on type:
8500
Aircraft flight hours:
12475
Circumstances:
The pilot and two passengers departed for a remote area on an on-demand charter flight in a float-equipped airplane. An emergency locator transmitter signal was heard in the area of the intended destination about 55 minutes after departure. The flight was reported overdue and search personnel located the wreckage at an elevation of about 2,850 feet in mountainous terrain about 2 and 1/2 hours after departure. The airplane collided with terrain below the top of a steep ridge. Search personnel reported the weather conditions in the area included low ceilings. The conditions deteriorated during subsequent rescue operations. The area forecast included an AIRMET for marginal VFR conditions with mountain obscuration due to clouds and precipitation.
Probable cause:
Continued flight by the pilot into adverse weather condition, and his failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from mountainous terrain. Factors related to the accident were the high/mountainous terrain, and weather conditions that included low ceilings.
Final Report:
N64276.pdf100.63 KB
