- Date
- March 18, 2010, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Port Alsworth, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2266GCessna 182B
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: VFR encounter with IMC
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration (Airworthiness)
- FAA report
- 20100318029539A
- Case key
- 75540
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to enter adverse weather conditions, resulting in a loss of visibility and collision with terrain during a turn to reverse direction.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The accident airplane was the second of two airplanes, traveling as a flight of two, en route to a remote wilderness lodge in an area of mountainous terrain. The accident pilot stated that as the flight entered a mountain pass, the two airplanes became separated due to heavy snow showers. He said that visibility deteriorated to a point that it was difficult to discern topographical features while in the pass, and he elected to turn around. The pilot reported that during a descending left turn the airplane collided with an area of snow-covered up-sloping terrain, sustaining substantial damage to the wings, fuselage and empennage. The pilot said there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane and that the airplane was recently equipped with a 406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter, which aided rescue crews in finding the accident site quickly.
Factual narrative
The accident airplane was the second of two airplanes, traveling as a flight of two, en route to a remote wilderness lodge in an area of mountainous terrain. The accident pilot stated that as the flight entered a mountain pass, the two airplanes became separated due to heavy snow showers. He said that visibility deteriorated to a point that it was difficult to discern topographical features while in the pass, and he elected to turn around. The pilot reported that during a descending left turn the airplane collided with an area of snow-covered up-sloping terrain, sustaining substantial damage to the wings, fuselage and empennage. The pilot said there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane and that the airplane was recently equipped with a 406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter, which aided rescue crews in finding the accident site quickly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2266G
- Reported as
- Cessna 182B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51566
- Airframe hours
- 4,597
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-520 SERIES, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Furman Richard W
- Registered owner
- Furman Richard W
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 17, 2010 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- PASX · Soldotna, AK
- Destination
- PALJ · Port Alsworth, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total · 152 in this make and model · 1,700 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 26, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 389 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.