19990817024719A

(.19) On August 17, 1999, at an estimated time of 1615 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-28-200 airplane, N56877, is presumed to have crashed in a remote area of the wrangell-st. elias national park, about 90 miles northeast of Chitina, Alaska. The airplane is missing and the commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, is presumed to have sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was being operated as a flight of two airplanes on a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions were reported to have prevailed in the area of last contact with the pilot. A VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at merrill field, anchorage, Alaska, about 1347. The pilot of the accident airplane obtained a weather briefing, and filed a VFR flight plan at 1305. He added N6401U, a Mooney M-20C, as a second airplane to the flight plan, with the route of flight as merrill field to gulkana, Alaska, to mccarthy, Alaska, to burwash, Canada, to whitehorse, Canada. During a telephone conversation on August 25, 1999, with the national transportation safety board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (iic), the pilot of N6401U said he departed from merrill field after the accident airplane, and remained about three to four miles in trail. He had periodic radio contact with the pilot of the accident airplane, but he did not always have visual contact. The pilot of the accident airplane was maintaining radio contact with the federal aviation administration (FAA), kenai automated flight service station (afss), and he reported over gulkana at 1446. The accident airplane pilot reported to N6401U he was proceeding to the glacier creek, Alaska, airstrip, stating mountains were on both sides of the route. The anticipated route of flight for the accident airplane would have been over the chitistone river, chitistone pass, and then over the russell glacier into the white river drainage. The last radio contact from the accident airplane pilot, about 1605, was that he was 10 miles from the (canadian) border. When the pilot of N6401U arrived over the russell glacier, the weather conditions were scattered clouds about 6,500 feet MSL, with a visibility of 50 miles. He could see a large weather front consisting of dark, low clouds in the area of burwash, Canada. He decided to divert to northway, Alaska, for additional fuel, and to get an update on the weather in Canada. He continued to whitehorse, and then to watson lake, Canada on August 18, 1999. He confirmed the accident airplane pilot had not arrived at either location, and had not contacted any U.S. Or canadian facility since the last radio conversation. The pilot of N6401U reported the accident airplane overdue about 2049 adt. An alert notice was issued on August 19, 1999, at 0132 adt. (-23) on August 17, 1999 a wheel equipped Piper PA-28R-200 airplane, N56877 departed merrill field anchorage Alaska at approximately 1:47 pm local time on a flight to whitehorse, yukon territory Canada with the pilot as the sole occupant of the aircraft. A VFR flight plan was filed for a flight of two aircraft, Piper PA-28, N56877 and Mooney-20-C, N6401U. The pilot of the Piper was reported overdue by the pilot of the Mooney when the Mooney pilot arrived in whitehorse Canada. The two aircraft had become separated in deteriorating weather while enroute to whitehorse. The last radio contact with the Piper pilot was with the pilot of the Mooney. The pilot of the Piper r eported his GPS position as approximately ten (10) miles west of the alaska/canadian border at the time of his last radio transmission. No lattitude or longitude date was given by the pilot of the Piper. As of 08/30/99, after a search of twelve (12) days, Piper PA-28, N56877 has not been found and search efforts have been suspended. (.4) the accident airplane departed as the lead airplane in a flight of two airplanes on a cross-country flight from Alaska to Canada. Both airplanes were listed on one VFR flight plan. The accident airplane is missing and presumed to have crashed in a remote area of mountains. The commercial pilot is presumed to have sustained fatal injuries. The last communication from the accident airplane was when the pilot reported '10 miles from the border' to the second airplane. When the pilot of the second airplane observed poor weather conditions in the area of intended flight, he diverted to an intermediate U.S. Airport not listed on the original flight plan, and attempted to close his portion of the flight plan. Flight service station personnel at the intermediate U.S. Airport did not find the two airplane flight plan in their computer system, and did not notify the departure or destination facilities of a change in the flight plan. Consequently, the flight plan remained open. The ETA of the flight passed, and flight service station personnel at the canadian destination began initial search inquiries. Shortly after the ETA expired, the second airplane pilot filed a new VFR flight plan to a canadian destination, and the original flight plan for both airplanes was then closed by canadian personnel. The following day, the second airplane pilot did not locate the first airplane along the original plan route and alerted search personnel. A search for the missing airplane in Alaska and Canada was suspended after 21 days.