What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
As reported: N65698 departed mri around 2000Z on 07/26/2021 without a flight plan. Estimated route of flight mri, palmer, knik glacier with ETA landing girdwood, AK 2200Z. Alnot generated after concerned call through A11 at time 0030Z via angel aviation 907-312-8298. Rcc advised N65698 located at 6111.92N/14907.63W. No signs of life. Alnot canceled. Besides mri, no services provided by fss, A11, or zan.
On July 26 2021 at about 1215 local Alaska time N65698 departed merrill field airport in anchorage on a discovery flight that would complete with a landing in girdwood Alaska. The flight was scheduled for approx. 2 hours. A private pilot was in the left seat with a certified flight instructor in the right seat of the C172.
After departure from merrill field the pilots headed north towards palmer Alaska and then turned back south to enter the chugach mountain range and fly along the knik River towards the knik glacier. At 1700 local Alaska time an alert notice was issued after a concerned family member began looking at the tracking application on their personal cell phone. The track appeared to stop in the upper Eagle River valley.
The airplane was found inverted with all the flight controls and major components still attached. The airplane came to rest at approx. 3100FT inverted on steep glacial terrain. The left wing remained attached to the fuselage at the wing root and the leading edge damage was consistent with impact damage from terrain. The right wing remained attached at the wing root and was relatively free of damage. All other flight controls remained attached at their prospective attach points. Landing gear was still attached with the nose gear being pushed aft consistent with impact damage. An ELT was installed, undamaged in the cradle, but did not activate. The switch was found in the off position during the investigation. Fuel was observed by rescue personnel draining from wings at accident site.
After recovery of the two pilots and the aircraft from the mountain an wreckage layout was performed with the NTSB iic. The wreckage layout verified that there was continuity from the cockpit, both sets of controls, to each of the flight control surfaces. The flaps were measured at 1/4 of an inch consistent with an retracted position at time of impact. The engine was relatively free of damage. Valve movement was verified with the removal of the valve covers. There was fuel taken at the carburetor. The oil cap was secure. The propeller exhibited tip separation on both blades with one blade exhibiting extensive leading edge gouging and bending. The propeller was able to be turned by hand which helped to discern the valve movement of the engine. Carb ice appears to have been partially actuated gauged by the photos at the accident site and position of the handle on inspection. Impossible to know the full extent of activation.
Wreckage is consistent with a with controlled flight into terrain initially impacting right side up nose first, rolling over, and laying to rest inverted further down the mountain.
At time of accident weather was on the lower edge of possible icing conditions. The verification of partial carb ice actuation could have been a contributing factor. Possible overestimation of aircraft performance in those conditions.
8/23/2021 Still awaiting toxicology and pathology information. If new information warrants an amendment to this report one will be submitted.
As the FAA filed it
AS REPORTED: N65698 DEPARTED MRI AROUND 2000Z ON 07/26/2021 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. ESTIMATED ROUTE OF FLIGHT MRI, PALMER, KNIK GLACIER WITH ETA LANDING GIRDWOOD, AK 2200Z. ALNOT GENERATED AFTER CONCERNED CALL THROUGH A11 AT TIME 0030Z VIA ANGEL AVIATION 907-312-8298. RCC ADVISED N65698 LOCATED AT 6111.92N/14907.63W. NO SIGNS OF LIFE. ALNOT CANCELED. BESIDES MRI, NO SERVICES PROVIDED BY FSS, A11, OR ZAN.
ON JULY 26 2021 AT ABOUT 1215 LOCAL ALASKA TIME N65698 DEPARTED MERRILL FIELD AIRPORT IN ANCHORAGE ON A DISCOVERY FLIGHT THAT WOULD COMPLETE WITH A LANDING IN GIRDWOOD ALASKA. THE FLIGHT WAS SCHEDULED FOR APPROX. 2 HOURS. A PRIVATE PILOT WAS IN THE LEFT SEAT WITH A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR IN THE RIGHT SEAT OF THE C172.
AFTER DEPARTURE FROM MERRILL FIELD THE PILOTS HEADED NORTH TOWARDS PALMER ALASKA AND THEN TURNED BACK SOUTH TO ENTER THE CHUGACH MOUNTAIN RANGE AND FLY ALONG THE KNIK RIVER TOWARDS THE KNIK GLACIER. AT 1700 LOCAL ALASKA TIME AN ALERT NOTICE WAS ISSUED AFTER A CONCERNED FAMILY MEMBER BEGAN LOOKING AT THE TRACKING APPLICATION ON THEIR PERSONAL CELL PHONE. THE TRACK APPEARED TO STOP IN THE UPPER EAGLE RIVER VALLEY.
THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND INVERTED WITH ALL THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND MAJOR COMPONENTS STILL ATTACHED. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST AT APPROX. 3100FT INVERTED ON STEEP GLACIAL TERRAIN. THE LEFT WING REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE AT THE WING ROOT AND THE LEADING EDGE DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH IMPACT DAMAGE FROM TERRAIN. THE RIGHT WING REMAINED ATTACHED AT THE WING ROOT AND WAS RELATIVELY FREE OF DAMAGE. ALL OTHER FLIGHT CONTROLS REMAINED ATTACHED AT THEIR PROSPECTIVE ATTACH POINTS. LANDING GEAR WAS STILL ATTACHED WITH THE NOSE GEAR BEING PUSHED AFT CONSISTENT WITH IMPACT DAMAGE. AN ELT WAS INSTALLED, UNDAMAGED IN THE CRADLE, BUT DID NOT ACTIVATE. THE SWITCH WAS FOUND IN THE OFF POSITION DURING THE INVESTIGATION. FUEL WAS OBSERVED BY RESCUE PERSONNEL DRAINING FROM WINGS AT ACCIDENT SITE.
AFTER RECOVERY OF THE TWO PILOTS AND THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE MOUNTAIN AN WRECKAGE LAYOUT WAS PERFORMED WITH THE NTSB IIC. THE WRECKAGE LAYOUT VERIFIED THAT THERE WAS CONTINUITY FROM THE COCKPIT, BOTH SETS OF CONTROLS, TO EACH OF THE FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES. THE FLAPS WERE MEASURED AT 1/4 OF AN INCH CONSISTENT WITH AN RETRACTED POSITION AT TIME OF IMPACT. THE ENGINE WAS RELATIVELY FREE OF DAMAGE. VALVE MOVEMENT WAS VERIFIED WITH THE REMOVAL OF THE VALVE COVERS. THERE WAS FUEL TAKEN AT THE CARBURETOR. THE OIL CAP WAS SECURE. THE PROPELLER EXHIBITED TIP SEPARATION ON BOTH BLADES WITH ONE BLADE EXHIBITING EXTENSIVE LEADING EDGE GOUGING AND BENDING. THE PROPELLER WAS ABLE TO BE TURNED BY HAND WHICH HELPED TO DISCERN THE VALVE MOVEMENT OF THE ENGINE. CARB ICE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY ACTUATED GAUGED BY THE PHOTOS AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND POSITION OF THE HANDLE ON INSPECTION. IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW THE FULL EXTENT OF ACTIVATION.
WRECKAGE IS CONSISTENT WITH A WITH CONTROLLED FLIGHT INTO TERRAIN INITIALLY IMPACTING RIGHT SIDE UP NOSE FIRST, ROLLING OVER, AND LAYING TO REST INVERTED FURTHER DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.
AT TIME OF ACCIDENT WEATHER WAS ON THE LOWER EDGE OF POSSIBLE ICING CONDITIONS. THE VERIFICATION OF PARTIAL CARB ICE ACTUATION COULD HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. POSSIBLE OVERESTIMATION OF AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE IN THOSE CONDITIONS.
8/23/2021 STILL AWAITING TOXICOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY INFORMATION. IF NEW INFORMATION WARRANTS AN AMENDMENT TO THIS REPORT ONE WILL BE SUBMITTED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.