20110724019699A

ON SUNDAY JULY 24, 2011 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^., COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATE NUMBER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND, AND INSTRUMENT RATING, WITH 8,300 FLIGHT HOURS, WAS PILOTING N7304S, A CESSNA CE-182P OPERATING UNDER CFR PART 91 VFR FLIGHT RULES, WITH HIS WIFE AS A PASSENGER, ON A FLIGHT FROM HOONAH (PAOH) TO JUNEAU, ALASKA (PAJN). JNU ATCT RECEIVED A CALL FROM N7304S AT 0643 ADT THAT HE WAS 10 MILES SW INBND FOR LDG. JNU ATCT DIRECTED N7304S TO REPORT 4 MI OUT. NO REPORT WAS RECEIVED. JNU ATCT BEGAN RECEIVING AN ELT SIGNAL, AND REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT MISSING AT 0731 ADT. THE AIRCRAFT CRASH SIGHT IS LOCATED APPROX. 5 MI. S OF PAJN AT AN ELEV.OF 3,100 FEET ON THE N. RIDGE OF MT. BEN STEWART, ON DOUGLAS ISLAND. NO PAOH TO PAJN FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND NO WEATHER BRIEFING IS ON RECORD.BACKGROUND: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD FLOWN HIS AIRCRAFT FROM ANCHORAGE (PANC) TO PAJN ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS WIFE ON, SAT., JULY 23, AND LATER THAT EVENING ON A VFR FLIGHT PLAN FROM PAJN TO PAOH. SHE HAD RESERVATIONS TO RETURN TO ANC ON SAT. EVENING'S AK AIRLINES FLIGHT. AFTER MISSING THAT FLIGHT DUE TO THEIR LATE ARRIVAL IN JUNEAU SHE WAS REBOOKED ON THE EARLY SUN. MORNING ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD BEEN EMPLOYED AS A PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT AT THE CLINIC IN HOONAH FOR 1 MONTH AND THEIR INTENTION WAS FOR HIS WIFE TO RETURN TO ANC TO COMPLETE THEIR MOVE TO HOONAH, WHILE HE RETURNED TO WORK. THEY DID NOT ARRIVE IN HOONAH FROM JUNEAU UNTIL 2200 ADT SAT. EVENING AND A WITNESS STATED THEY DEPARTED PAOH QUITE EARLY ON SUNDAY MORNING UNDER LOW CEILINGS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY. A GROUND SEARCH WAS STARTED SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND DEBRIS, INCLUDING THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER WERE LOCATED BY MEMBERS OF JUNEAU MOUNTAIN RESCUE LATE THAT AFTERNOON. THIS AREA IS 600' IN ELEV. BELOW THE CRASH SIGHT. THE ACTUAL CRASH SIGHT AND BODIES OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WERE LOCATED AT NOON ADT ON MONDAY, JULY 25 BY MEMBERS OF JUNEAU MOUNTAIN RESCUE. NTSB'S ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, FAA'S DOUG WAHTO, JON PERCY, TROY MCCLANAHAN, AND REY MADRID, STATE TROOPER SERGEANT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, AND 4 MEMBERS OF JUNEAU MOUNTAIN RESCUE ARRIVED AT THE SIGHT, 3 1/2 MILES AND 2100 VERTICAL FEET FROM THE EAGLECREST SKI AREA 1000' ELEVATION BASE AT 1300 ADT. THE ON SIGHT INVESTIGATION WAS COMPLETED, THE BODIES SECURED IN BAGS AND LEFT ON SIGHT, AND THE GROUP ARRIVED BACK AT THE EAGLECREST BASE BY 1700 ADT. THE WEATHER AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS EXPERIENCED THROUGHOUT THE DAY BY THE GROUND PARTIES WERE DIFFICULT, AND AT TIMES DANGEROUS. THE BODIES WERE RECOVERED FRIDAY EVE, JULY 29, WHEN THE WEATHER FINALLY CLEARED, UTILIZING TEMSCO HELICOPTERS, AS THE TERRAIN AND WEATHER CONDITIONS POSED A HIGH RISK TO THE GROUND PARTY WERE THEY TO ATTEMPT TO RECOVER THE BODIES ON FOOT. THE NTSB RELEASED THE WRECKAGE, FOR RECOVERY, TO THE INSURANCE COMPANIES' ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO UTILIZED COASTAL HELICOPTERS TO RETRIEVE THE WRECKAGE ON SAT. JULY 30. JUNEAU WEATHER: LOCAL PAJN 1435Z SPECI 09008KT 5SM-RA BR BKN028 OVC036 13/13 2989. THE VISIBILITY HAD BEEN UP AND DOWN FROM 4 TO 6 MILES WITH RAIN AND FOG, AND LOWER CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY ALONG THE HILLS AND MOUNTAINS. PILOT REPORTS INDICATED VISIBILITIES OF LESS THEN 2 MILES AND CEILINGS AS LOW AS 500' WITH RAIN AND FOG IN THE AREA. HOONAH ASOS WAS REPORTING SIMILAR MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS.