- Date
- May 17, 2023, 12:22 local (20:22 UTC)
- Place
- Point Thomson, AK · 1/4 mile south of the airport
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N34WMPiper PA31
- Defining event
- Approach-IFR final approach: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230517003279A
- Case key
- 192218
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 inadvertent descent below the published minimum descent altitude, while operating in flat light conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Findings · 5
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 pilot reported that while established on an RNAV GPS instrument approach to a remote airport, flat light conditions made it difficult to discern topographical features of the snow-covered terrain below. Prior to reaching the decision height altitude, the pilot said he looked outside for the runway environment, but the flat light condition caused him to spend more time looking outside and he became disorientated. When he looked back at the airplane’s instruments, he noticed the airplane was below the glide path and initiated a go-around maneuver; however, the airplane subsequently impacted snow-covered terrain. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N34WM
- Reported as
- Piper PA31 (350)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7305125
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 19,217
- Engines
- Lycoming LTIO-540-J2B, 360 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TIO-540-J2B, 360 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 135
- Operator
- JuniPogo LLC, doing business as 70 North
- Registered owner
- 70 North LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · May 8, 2023
- Departed
- PASC · Deadhorse, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 37AA · Point Thomson Airstrip
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 6, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,636 total · 89 in this make and model · 1,558 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 7,145 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- PASC, 45 nm away
- METAR
- PASC 172018Z 06006KT 1SM R06/3500VP6000FT -SN BR FEW005 BKN015 OVC028 M03/M05 A3021 RMK AO2 P0001 T10331050
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 20, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.5 MB 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.