20170703010789A

N9620M is a 1981 Cessna 207, registered to Alaska air taxi located at lake hood, AK.

7-5-2017: Interview with Alaska air taxi chief pilot (cp): cp said that N9620M had a timed out engine and was being used by the owner for personal use down in seldovia. The pilot at the time of the accident is a personal friend of the owner, visiting from Florida. Cp was flying back to anchorage from seldovia in another aircraft, a CE-206, and N9620M was being flown back part 91. They flew as a flight of two. Cp had three passengers in his aircraft, and N9620M was the second aircraft with no cargo on board.

Cp said that they departed at about 0930, and estimated the flight would take about one hour. The planes had been fueled to full prior to their departure from anchorage on the previous flight, so there was about 3 ½ hours of fuel remaining. He flew the lead airplane and N9620M flew behind him.

After passing the kenai area, the visibility got worse and the ceilings came down, and so they flew the coastline north from kenai. They were going to fly the coast all the way to the mouth of the chickaloon river, which is just near, but not quite to, hope, and then cross turnagain arm at that narrow portion, and then fly into lake hood.

They were near the area of moose point when the visibility became worse and the ceiling started getting lower. Cp said they had been about 800 MSL, with 4 to 5 miles visibility up to that point. When the weather started going lower, he decided to turn around and told N9620M on the radio he was doing a 180 turn. He told N9620M to go south, and then turn west back towards the shoreline. N9620M asked if they ?were returning? And then he never answered the radio again, even though cp called him several times.

He couldn?t find N9620M so he headed back towards kenai. He called owner to get the notification of the missing airplane going. He dropped his passengers off in kenai to catch a commuter flight back to anchorage. The aircraft was located and pilot was rescued and brought to the kenai airport. Cp flew him back to seldovia, where he was staying at owner's residence.

Telephone interview with owner: said that accident pilot is a personal friend and lives in Florida, and comes and visits in the summertime to seldovia. He is a fairly experienced private pilot who owns his own Beech baron, and is instrument rated as well. He said that N9620M has a timed-out engine, and so is unable to be used for part 135 operations. He used the aircraft for his own personal use to and from seldovia, to save time on his PA-31 navajo. Accident pilot was just going to follow cp on the flight there. The airplane was equipped to fly IFR.

Telephone interview with airman: airman said he was a personal friend of owner and had come up this summer and staying with him in seldovia. He has a private pilot certificate with an instrument rating. He owns his own A-36 Beech baron, a 300HP complex airplane. He has just over 7000 flight hours. Airman said he was the 2nd pilot in a flight of two from seldovia to anchorage. He was following behind and to the left of cp, flying up the coastline past kenai. As the weather continued to deteriorate, and cp ?cut the corner? Flying near moose point. The weather finally closed in near Trapper lake and cp came on the radio saying he was turning around by doing a left 180. Airman said he lost sight of cp and was very concerned about a mid-air collision, as he was following back and to the left. He immediately started a gradual climbing right turn. He said he went up into the clouds . It was not a panic situation and he estimated it was a 200-300 fmp climb with the gradual right turn. Suddenly, it was "bang" and he blacked out.