What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft reported missing, alnot was issued,search is underway, ELT located and being tracked. (-19) on April 10, 1997, about 2055 Alaska daylight time, a hageland aviation Cessna 208 crashed while attempting to land at Wainwright, Alaska. The flight was a scheduled commuter flight from barrow, Alaska to Wainwright, Alaska. The flight was making a third attempt to land at Wainwright when the accident occurred. The pilot and all four passengers were fatally injured. (.4)the pilot had contacted the fss 11 times on the day of the accident to obtain weather briefings. The conditions were below VFR minimums, which were required to conduct the passenger-carrying commercial flight in a single-engine airplane. The conditions later improved and the pilot departed under a special VFR clearance. The pilot performed two approaches at the destination airport in IMC that were consistent with the two GPS approaches that were available there. Weather data and witnesses indicate that daylight conditions, low clouds and poor visibility prevailed, with cloud tops at 1,000 feet. After the second approach, the pilot radioed that he was heading back to the departure airport because he could not see tha airport. No distress calls or unusual engine noises were heard. The airplane subsequentlyflew north of the airport and away from the departure airport at an altitude beneath the minimum radar coverage of 2,200 feet. It impacted the frozen arctic ocean in a right bank and at a 60-degree nose-down attitude about three miles away from the location of the pilot's last radio transmission. An examination of the airplane (before it sank through cracking ice) revealed no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. An examination of the propeller revealed that it was under a power setting consistent with a manuevering airspeed at the time of impact. An examination of the aurtopilot annunciator filament revealed that the autopilot was not engaged at impact. Small pieces of clear ice, about 1/4-inch thick, were found on portions of the tail surfaces. Interviews with operator employees and the pilot's wife revealed that the pilot may have felt pressure from himself and passengers to complete the flight.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT REPORTED MISSING, ALNOT WAS ISSUED,SEARCH IS UNDERWAY, ELT LOCATED AND BEING TRACKED. (-19) ON APRIL 10, 1997, ABOUT 2055 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A HAGELAND AVIATION CESSNA 208 CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA. THE FLIGHT WAS A SCHEDULED COMMUTER FLIGHT FROM BARROW, ALASKA TO WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA. THE FLIGHT WAS MAKING A THIRD ATTEMPT TO LAND AT WAINWRIGHT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE PILOT AND ALL FOUR PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED. (.4)THE PILOT HAD CONTACTED THE FSS 11 TIMES ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT TO OBTAIN WEATHER BRIEFINGS. THE CONDITIONS WERE BELOW VFR MINIMUMS, WHICH WERE REQUIRED TO CONDUCT THE PASSENGER-CARRYING COMMERCIAL FLIGHT IN A SINGLE-ENGINE AIRPLANE. THE CONDITIONS LATER IMPROVED AND THE PILOT DEPARTED UNDER A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE. THE PILOT PERFORMED TWO APPROACHES AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT IN IMC THAT WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE TWO GPS APPROACHES THAT WERE AVAILABLE THERE. WEATHER DATA AND WITNESSES INDICATE THAT DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS, LOW CLOUDS AND POOR VISIBILITY PREVAILED, WITH CLOUD TOPS AT 1,000 FEET. AFTER THE SECOND APPROACH, THE PILOT RADIOED THAT HE WAS HEADING BACK TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT BECAUSE HE COULD NOT SEE THA AIRPORT. NO DISTRESS CALLS OR UNUSUAL ENGINE NOISES WERE HEARD. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLYFLEW NORTH OF THE AIRPORT AND AWAY FROM THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT AT AN ALTITUDE BENEATH THE MINIMUM RADAR COVERAGE OF 2,200 FEET. IT IMPACTED THE FROZEN ARCTIC OCEAN IN A RIGHT BANK AND AT A 60-DEGREE NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE ABOUT THREE MILES AWAY FROM THE LOCATION OF THE PILOT'S LAST RADIO TRANSMISSION. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE (BEFORE IT SANK THROUGH CRACKING ICE) REVEALED NO PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS. AN EXAMINATION OF THE PROPELLER REVEALED THAT IT WAS UNDER A POWER SETTING CONSISTENT WITH A MANUEVERING AIRSPEED AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AURTOPILOT ANNUNCIATOR FILAMENT REVEALED THAT THE AUTOPILOT WAS NOT ENGAGED AT IMPACT. SMALL PIECES OF CLEAR ICE, ABOUT 1/4-INCH THICK, WERE FOUND ON PORTIONS OF THE TAIL SURFACES. INTERVIEWS WITH OPERATOR EMPLOYEES AND THE PILOT'S WIFE REVEALED THAT THE PILOT MAY HAVE FELT PRESSURE FROM HIMSELF AND PASSENGERS TO COMPLETE THE FLIGHT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.