Mountains

The single engine airplane was carrying one passenger (a mining employee) and a pilot from Rackla to Mayo, Yukon. En route, it crashed on the slope of a mountain located north of Mayo Lake, about 45 km northeast of Mayo Airport. The wreckage was spotted an hour later and both occupants were killed.

En route from Vancouver Seaplane Base to Calvert Island, the single engine seaplane crashed in unknown circumstances in a hilly and wooded terrain located on Addenbroke Island, east of Calvert Island. Four occupants were killed while five others were injured.

The airplane departed Jorhat Airport at 1227LT on a flight to Mechuka, Arunachal Pradesh. About half an hour later, while in cruising altitude, radio and radar contact was lost. SAR operations were quickly initiated and the wreckage was spotted eight days later, on June 11, by the crew of a Mil Mi-17 helicopter near the village of Lipo. The wreckage was found at an altitude of 12,000 feet in a wooded and steep area, about 34 km southeast of Mechuka Airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 13 occupants were killed.

The crew was completing a ferry flight from Goose Bay to UK via Narsarsuaq and departed Goose Bay Airport at 0723LT. Bound to the northeast, the single engine airplane flew at an altitude varying between 600 and 700 metres and a speed of 200-240 km/h when it struck a mountain located about 74 km southeast of Makkovik, Newfoundland, about 37 minutes after takeoff. SAR operations were hampered due to blizzard and a ground search and rescue team consisting of nine people from Makkovik reached the two men by snowmobile on Wednesday evening. At the time, one was conscious while another was unconscious. They reached Makkovik around 2100LT, but couldn't get a helicopter out until early Thursday morning due to poor weather conditions. Both pilots were evacuated in the morning of May 2 but one of them died from his injuries later in the day.

The pilot departed Hobart Airport at 0748LT on a positioning flight to Bathurst Harbour, southwest Tasmania. En route, he encountered poor weather conditions and limited visibility when the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located in the Southwest National Park, some 32 km northeast of the intended destination. The wreckage was found few hours later in West Portal, about 100 meters below the summit. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

At 1411LT, the crew contacted Oksibil Airport, reported his altitude at 7,000 feet and received the last weather bulletin for Oksibil. Nine minutes later, the single engine aircraft struck trees and crashed in a dense wooded area located in the region of Oksibil. A 12-year old boy was injured while eight other occupants were killed.

On August 4, 2018, about 1753 Alaska daylight time, a single-engine, DHC-2 Beaver airplane, N323KT, sustained substantial damage during an impact with steep, high altitude, snow-covered terrain about 50 miles northwest of Talkeetna, Alaska, in Denali National Park and Preserve. The airplane was registered to Rust Properties, LLC and operated by Rust's Flying Service Inc, doing business as K2 Aviation as a visual flight rules on-demand commercial air tour flight, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 when the accident occurred. The commercial pilot and four passengers sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight originated at the Talkeetna Airport (TKA) about 17:05. According to K2 Aviation, the purpose of the flight was to provide the four passengers a one-hour tour flight. This tour was to consist of an aerial tour of multiple glaciers, which included a flyover of the Denali Base Camp located on the Kahiltna Glacier, at 7,200 feet mean sea level (msl), and then return to Talkeetna. According to archived global positioning system (GPS) track data from K2 Aviation's in-flight tracking system, at 1746, as the flight passed over the Denali Base Camp, the airplane initially turns south, and travels down the Kahiltna Glacier. As the flight progressed southbound, it then turns to the left, and towards Talkeetna on a southeasterly heading. As the airplane continues on the southeasterly heading, the track terminates near a knife-edge ridge above the Kahiltna Glacier on Thunder Mountain. At 1753, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) received the first alert from the accident airplane's 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter (ELT). At 1756, K2 Aviation was alerted that the accident airplane's satellite tracking had stopped moving, and lost aircraft procedures were immediately initiated. About 1800, a satellite phone call from the accident pilot was received by personnel at K2 Aviation. The pilot stated that they had impacted a mountain and needed rescue. The call only lasted a couple minutes before the connection was lost. After several attempts, contact was once again made with the accident pilot, and he stated that he was trapped in the wreckage and there were possibly two fatalities. No further information was received before the connection was once again lost. At 2008, the National Park Service (NPS) high altitude rescue helicopter based in Talkeetna, was dispatched to the coordinates transmitted from the accident airplane's 406 MHz ELT. However, due to continuous poor weather conditions in the area, the helicopter crew was not able to reach the accident site. Search and rescue assets from the National Park Service (NPS), the RCC, the Alaska Air National Guard, the Alaska Army National Guard and the U.S. Army joined in the search and rescue mission. On August 6, about 0717, the crew of the NPS's high altitude rescue helicopter located the airplane wreckage in an ice crevasse, at an altitude of about 10,920 ft msl, on a hanging glacier on Thunder Mountain, which is located about 14 miles southwest of the Denali Summit. The airplane was highly fragmented, and the right wing had separated and fallen several hundred feet below the main wreckage. Subsequently, an NPS mountain rescue ranger was able to access the accident site utilizing a technique known as a short-haul, which allows transport of rescue personnel to otherwise inaccessible sites while suspended beneath a helicopter using a long-line. Once on scene, and while still connected to the helicopter, the ranger was able to locate the deceased pilot and three of the passengers in the forward portion of the fuselage, but the fifth occupant was missing. The fuselage was fractured aft of the trailing edge of the wings, and the fuselage was splayed open with blown, packed snow inside. Rapidly deteriorating weather conditions limited the initial on-scene time to about five minutes. On August 10, NPS launched another short-haul site assessment mission. During this mission, the fifth occupant was located in the aft section of the fuselage and was confirmed deceased. According to NPS management personnel, given the unique challenges posed by the steepness of terrain, ice crevasses, avalanche danger, and the instability of the aircraft wreckage, it was determined that recovery of the occupants remains, and retrieval of the aircraft wreckage, exceed an acceptable level of risk and therefore a recovery will not be attempted.

The three engine aircraft departed Locarno Airport in the afternoon on a return trip to Dübendorf, carrying 17 passengers and a crew of three. While flying over the Alps in relative good weather conditions, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed inverted in a rocky area located on the west slope of the Piz Segnas, at the border between Glarus and Graubunden. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact and all 20 occupants have been killed. According to preliminary report, the airplane lost height rapidly and crashed like a stone, confirming the version of several eyewitnesses. Any in-flight collision with another aircraft or a cable was excluded by the authorities which also confirmed that no in-flight fire occurred prior to the accident and that the aircraft did not lose any component prior to impact. Investigations will take time as the aircraft was not equipped with any recording systems.

The twin engine aircraft departed Penticton Airport on a survey flight to Calgary. En route, in unknown circumstances, it struck the rocky slope of a mountain located in the Rae Glacier, near Kananaskis. Both occupants, a pilot and a technician, were killed.

On July 10, 2018, about 0835 Alaska daylight time, a single-engine, turbine-powered, float equipped de Havilland DHC3T Otter airplane, N3952B, sustained substantial damage during an impact with rocky, mountainous, rising terrain about 9 miles west of Hydaburg, Alaska. The airplane was registered to Blue Aircraft, LLC and operated by Taquan Air as a visual flight rules (VFR) on-demand commercial flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 when the accident occurred. Of the 11 occupants on board, the airline transport pilot was uninjured, four passengers sustained minor injuries, and six passengers sustained serious injuries. Marginal visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight departed Steamboat Bay about 0747 destined for Ketchikan, Alaska. The area between Steamboat Bay and Ketchikan consists of remote inland fjords, coastal waterways, and steep mountainous terrain. During an initial telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 11, the accident pilot reported that while in level cruise flight at about 1,100 ft mean sea level (MSL), and as the flight progressed into an area known as Sulzer Portage, visibility decreased rapidly from about 3-5 miles to nil. In an attempt to turnaround and return to VFR conditions, he initiated a climbing right turn. Prior to completing the 180° right turn, he saw what he believed to be a body of water and he became momentarily disoriented, so he leveled the wings. Shortly thereafter, he realized that he airplane was approaching an area of snow-covered mountainous terrain, so he applied full power and initiated a steep, emergency climb to avoid rising terrain ahead. As the steep emergency climb continued, the airspeed decayed, and the airplane subsequently collided with an area of rocky, rising terrain. During the initial impact, the airplane's floats were sheared off. The airplane wreckage came to rest in an area known as Jumbo Mountain, sustaining substantial damage to wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that the Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) was in the inhibit mode at the time of the accident. According to the passenger seated in the right front seat, after departure, they proceeded to Klawock and then made what he perceived to be as a 180° turn. He said there were numerous course deviations as they maneuvered around weather, and at times all forward visibility was lost as they briefly flew in and out of the clouds. He said he became uncomfortable and was thinking it would be prudent to just land on the water. Shortly thereafter, he observed a large mountain loom directly in front of the airplane, knowing they could not out climb the mountain he presumed there must be a pass through the area. As they continued to approach the mountain they entered a cloud and he observed the pilot add power and pitch up, but the airplane impacted the side of the mountain. According to a second passenger seated towards the back of the airplane, the weather at Steamboat Bay when they departed was rain and low clouds. During the flight he could occasionally see the land and water below, but sometimes he could not. He said that there was consistent serious fog all around. After they passed Waterfall Resort he became very concerned that they were headed in the wrong direction. He texted the right front seat passenger (a friend) and asked him to ask the pilot to land and wait for the weather to improve. He said that he did not see the mountain until they were right on it, and observed the pilot add power right before impact. At 0843, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Juneau received a report from the Alaska State Troopers (AST) that a float plane had crashed near Sulzer Portage on Prince of Wales Island. Two MH-60J Sea Hawk helicopters were launched from USCG Air Station Sitka, and AST activated the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad (KVRS) and other rescue personnel utilizing Temsco Helicopters, Inc. of Ketchikan. Five helicopters were dispatched from Temsco to the search area and a staging area was established near the believed to be accident site. One of the helicopter pilots stated that he was unable to search the upper levels of the mountainous area due to a low cloud ceiling and poor visibility. After receiving word that the USCG was approaching the search area, he returned to the staging area. A "First Alert" was received from the accident airplane's onboard emergency locator transmitter (ELT) at 0911. About the same time, 911 dispatch in Ketchikan talked to a survivor who provided GPS position and elevation based on data from her iPhone. At 1047 both USCG helicopters arrived in the search area and one helicopter obtained a weak direction finding (DF) bearing from the ELT at the crash scene. The DF bearing, and the survivor's description of the accident area were used to direct search assets in close proximity to the accident site, so the survivors could hear the USCG helicopters. Two-way radio communications were established between the survivors and USCG by utilizing the accident airplane's radio. The USCG located the accident site at 1156. At 1308 all 11 survivors had been hoisted into the USCG's rescue helicopter and transferred to the staging area for transport back to Ketchikan by Temsco Helicopters. The accident site was located on a rock face on the east side of Jumbo Mountain at an elevation of about 2,557 ft msl. All the airplane major components were located at the accident site. The closest weather reporting facility was Hydaburg Seaplane Base (PAHY), Hydaburg, Alaska, about 9 miles west of the accident site. At 0847, an METAR from PAHY was reporting, in part: wind from 110° at 13 knots; visibility, 5 statute miles in light rain and mist; clouds and sky condition, few clouds at 900 ft, overcast clouds at 1,700 ft; temperature, 57° F; dew point 55° F; altimeter, 30.16 inches of mercury. A detailed wreckage examination is pending.