20121218028969A

Pilot was conducting cargo flight from holbrook AZ (P14) to phoenix, AZ (phx) with a scheduled stop in Payson AZ (pan) to pick up & deliver express packages for ups. Aircraft was seen departing holbrook airport between 4:50 ? 5:00 pm the evening of dec. 18, 2012. The aircraft was scheduled to land at pan at approximately 5:30 pm to pick up packages from the local ups currier. The ups driver and his boss were waiting on the ramp at Payson to deliver additional packages to the cargo flight. Neither of these personnel observed or heard an aircraft in the area during the time they were present at the airport. After waiting 20 minutes for the ameriflight aircraft to arrive the ground personnel decided to take the packages for delivery to phx by ground vehicle.

Air traffic control tapes recovered after the crash were reviewed and the following is a summary of the information which they contained:

At approximately 6:11 pm (1:11 zulu time) the pilot contacted albuquerque center (zab) and requested an IFR clearance from his present position to phoenix.

The pilot identified the aircraft as ameriflight 3863 but zab mis-heard the flight number and identified the aircraft as (ameriflight) amf 3853 in subsequent radio communications. The pilot responded to these calls and did not correct the number read out.

Zab gave the aircraft a squawk code (2651) and the pilot stated that he was at 13,500 ft. and wanted to get an IFR clearance to phx. At 6:14 (1:14 zulu) zab cleared him direct to phx with a restriction to cross 40 miles north of phx at 10,000 ft. phx altimeter reading was 29.74.

The aircraft proceeded to descend to 10,000 ft and stabled out at that altitude at 6:19 (1:19 zulu).

At 6:23:56 pm (1:23:56 zulu) the pilot asked for lower altitude because he was ?getting some heavy up and down drafts? (Turbulence). Zab told him they were unable to get him lower because the minimum vectoring altitude (mva) in the area was 9,700 ft and his mode c was indicating the aircraft was at 9,500 ft. at 1:24:17 the pilot acknowledged the transmission with a ?roger? And the tape indicates the aircraft climbed back up to 10,000 ft.

From 1:24:24 to 1:24:27 zulu the ATC controller made a call to another aircraft and blocked a transmission which was not picked up on the ATC tape. The broken unreadable transmission lasted until 1:24:33. At 1:24:35 thru 1:24:39 zab transmitted asking who was calling & stated ?you were broken and un-readable, say again please?. Zab then gave another aircraft instructions. At 1:25:18 zab called ameriflight 3863 and stated ?radar contact lost?. Within the time of 1:24:24 and 1:24:33 the amf 3853 ATC tag changed from indicating altitude and airspeed to a ?primary? Target.

For the next minute zab controller called ameriflight 3853 several times but got no response back from the pilot. Zab then called a medivac king air (call sign lifeguard 918) which was flying along the same flight path behind the ameriflight aircraft 10 miles, and was at 12, 000 ft. zab requested lifeguard 918 pilot to try to contact amf 3853. This lifeguard pilot made several attempts to contact the aircraft but no transmission was received from ameriflight aircraft. Zab asked lifeguard to check whether an ELT beacon could be heard. The response was negative. Within 4 minutes zab again asked the pilot of lifeguard 918 to see if he could see any lights or fire in the area he was flying over. The pilot stated that he was in and out of the tops of the clouds and could see nothing below. He also stated that he was experiencing moderate turbulence where he was at.

At 2:04 zulu ATC issued an alnot on the aircraft and a search & rescue effort was started to look for the aircraft in the area last known from ATC radar plots.

Both AZ highway patrol and civil air patrol conducted sar missions that evening and the next day. Because of darkness and bad weather conditions the evening of dec. 18 the aircraft crash site was not located until the next morning at appr