20070504010819A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Bbavia 8KCAB · Girdwood, AK · May 4, 2007

Date: May 4, 2007 · 19:15 local
Place: Girdwood, AK
Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N5038K
NTSB investigation: NTSBANC07LA036
Reported as: Bbavia 8KCAB
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 0 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

N5038KRegistered now · Bellanca 8KCABS/N 482.79 · Built 1979 Airframe modelBellanca 8KCAB Engine modelLycoming AEIO-360 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Pilot was overflying a party of campers near the eagle glacier, with the intent of dropping some brownies to them. According to witnesses on the ground, while flying down the glacier on the second approach, the aircraft descended into the ground. Ceiling was reported by the ground party as approximately 600 feet overcast, with haze and flat light conditions. Visibility down the glacier into the lower valley was good. The pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, received serious injuries.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT WAS OVERFLYING A PARTY OF CAMPERS NEAR THE EAGLE GLACIER, WITH THE INTENT OF DROPPING SOME BROWNIES TO THEM. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES ON THE GROUND, WHILE FLYING DOWN THE GLACIER ON THE SECOND APPROACH, THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED INTO THE GROUND. CEILING WAS REPORTED BY THE GROUND PARTY AS APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET OVERCAST, WITH HAZE AND FLAT LIGHT CONDITIONS. VISIBILITY DOWN THE GLACIER INTO THE LOWER VALLEY WAS GOOD. THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT, RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ANC07LA036Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGirdwood, AKThe pilot's failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from terrain while maneuvering, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a glacier. Factors contributing to the accident were snow-covered terrain, and flat light conditions.May 4, 2007 · Substantial damage