What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Information gained from an interview of a surviving passenger indicated the pilot was making an approach to heitman lake to go fishing after delivering cargo to old harbor. The pilot then remembered that a passenger had boarded at old harbor and that they could not go fishing because the passenger was going to Kodiak. The pilot then leveled off over the lake and flew the length of the lake toward a notch in the terrain where the lake drained into a stream. The terrain at each side of the notch was less than 100 feet above the lake level, and beyond that point the terrain was lower than the lake. The weather was clear. There was a small tree on the left side of the notch that contacted the left wing leading edge approximately 18" from the wingtip. The witness stated that the pilot looked shocked and surprised, then abruptly pulled up and away from the object in a nose-high right turn. The witness stated that the airplane shuddered and shook, and then the nose dropped. The airplane hit the ground nose first and came to rest approximately 10 feet from the point of impact. The pilot was killed and two passengers survived.
As the FAA filed it
INFORMATION GAINED FROM AN INTERVIEW OF A SURVIVING PASSENGER INDICATED THE PILOT WAS MAKING AN APPROACH TO HEITMAN LAKE TO GO FISHING AFTER DELIVERING CARGO TO OLD HARBOR. THE PILOT THEN REMEMBERED THAT A PASSENGER HAD BOARDED AT OLD HARBOR AND THAT THEY COULD NOT GO FISHING BECAUSE THE PASSENGER WAS GOING TO KODIAK. THE PILOT THEN LEVELED OFF OVER THE LAKE AND FLEW THE LENGTH OF THE LAKE TOWARD A NOTCH IN THE TERRAIN WHERE THE LAKE DRAINED INTO A STREAM. THE TERRAIN AT EACH SIDE OF THE NOTCH WAS LESS THAN 100 FEET ABOVE THE LAKE LEVEL, AND BEYOND THAT POINT THE TERRAIN WAS LOWER THAN THE LAKE. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR. THERE WAS A SMALL TREE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE NOTCH THAT CONTACTED THE LEFT WING LEADING EDGE APPROXIMATELY 18" FROM THE WINGTIP. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE PILOT LOOKED SHOCKED AND SURPRISED, THEN ABRUPTLY PULLED UP AND AWAY FROM THE OBJECT IN A NOSE-HIGH RIGHT TURN. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE SHUDDERED AND SHOOK, AND THEN THE NOSE DROPPED. THE AIRPLANE HIT THE GROUND NOSE FIRST AND CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET FROM THE POINT OF IMPACT. THE PILOT WAS KILLED AND TWO PASSENGERS SURVIVED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.