# Accident 19970410005709A: Cessna 208B, Wainwright, AK, April 10, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 10, 1997, 20:30 local time
- Place: Wainwright, AK
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: EPUA
- Location: 70.6293° N, 159.9609° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=70.6293&lon=-159.9609&mi=10
- Aircraft: N408GV, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N408GV-1998-08-31) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 208B (registry code 2073701, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-208b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 208B
- Reported engine: PWA PT6A114A
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 5
- Pilot flight hours: 3,660 total, 60 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC97MA161](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC97MA161) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970410005709A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ANC97MA161](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC97MA161), Apr 11, 1997: Cessna 208B (N408GV), Wainwright, AK, destroyed, 5 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's intentional VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain altitude/clearance from terrain. Factors contributing to the accident were the weather…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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