19990414003459A

Village aviation air taxi crashed under unknown circumstances while en route, the pilot/sole occupant suffered fatal injuries, the acft has substantial damage. (.19) on April 14, 1999, about 0930 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 207A airplane, N73188, was destroyed after crashing on an ice and snow covered lagoon, about 10.3 nautical miles east of Kotzebue, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled domestic flight under title 14 CFR part 135 when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated as flight 303X, by village aviation inc., doing business as camai air. The certificated airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area of the accident. A VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the robert curtis memorial airport, noorvik, Alaska, about 0920. The station manager for the operator reported the flight was an extra section to scheduled flight 303. The pilot departed Kotzebue with mail for noorvik at 0847. The distance from Kotzebue to noorvik is 37 nautical miles, and the flight usually takes 28 minutes. The airplane departed noorvik with no mail or cargo. Kotzebue flight service station (fss) personnel, and other pilots monitoring the Kotzebue common traffice advisory frequency (CTAF), heard two radio calls of "mayday" about 0930. The pilot's voice was identified by those hearing the radio call. Ground search personnel departed Kotzebue on snow machines, and located the wreckage on the hotham inlet, about .5 nautical mile east of the shorline of the baldwin peninsula. The ralph wien memorial airport at Kotzebue lies within class e airspace. Special VFR conditions existed at the airport as the pilot was returning from noorvik. At 0908, a special weather observation was reporting in part: wind, 030 degrees (true) at 7 knots; visibility, 1.5 statute miles in light snow and mist; clouds and sky condition, 2,100 feet scattered, 3,600 feet overcast; temperature, 12 degrees f; dew point, 8 degrees f; altimeter, 30.10 inhg. (.4) the certificated airline transport pilot departed on a flight to a remote village about 37 miles away. The trip was the first since an annual inspection had been completed the day before. The pilot departed with fuel only in the left wing tank. The right wing tank was empty. About 35 minutes la ter, the pilot was on a return flight to his original departure airport that was within class e airspace. During the pilot's absence, the airport visibility had decreased to 1 1/2 mile. Instrument meteorological conditions, and special VFR procedures were in use. A 'mayday' was heard over the common traffic advisory frequency, and was monitored by the local flight service station. The voice of the pilot was recognized as the accident pilot. Search personnel found the airplane on a flat area of a frozen, snow-covered lagoon. The weather at the accident site was described as fog, with flat lighting conditions. The wreckage path was oriented away from higher terrain around the destination airport which is located on a peninsula. The airplane had crashed in a nose down attitude, and came to rest inverted. The engine separated completely from the airframe. An examination of the engine revealed fuel throughout, and mechanical continuity. The vacuum pump's internal support post, on which the internal block rotated, was found fractured through 70 percent of its diameter from fatigue, the remaining portion of fracture was overstress. The airplane was equipped with a standby vacuum system. Aexamination of the airframe located a combination screwdriver in the left wing. The handle was shattered. No flight control cable impingement was observed. (-23)the aircraft departed Kotzebue Alaska and landed at noorvik Alaska without incident. On the return flight to Kotzebue, the aircraft crashed into the frozen ice at kobuk river. The day before the accident, the aircraft had under gone an annual inspection. This was the second flight of this aircraft since, it was annual.