- Date
- April 28, 1985, 09:20 local (17:20 UTC)
- Place
- Girdwood, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8035DPiper 22/20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19850428015119A
- Case key
- 4488
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft was on a flt to transport 2 skiers to a glacier area, so they could ski downhill to a location to where they could be picked up. The plt landed the wheel/ski equipped acft on upsloping terrain. The visibility was good, except a whiteout phenomena was prevalent in the selected landing area. During touchdown, the acft struck an unseen snow drift which bent the right main gear. The whiteout glarcier was so named because of its unique propensity to induce whiteout illusions. No ELT was installed in the acft, so the 2 passengers skied down the glacier & summoned help. However, the wind began blowing & delayed a rescue. Two days later, an air force H-3 helicopter crashed downhill from N8035D while attempting a recovery. Later, another helicopter was used to recover the occupants of both downed acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8035D
- Reported as
- Piper 22/20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-5560
- Airframe hours
- 2,905
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Russell James Kendall
- Registered owner
- Robert F. Hanson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 12, 1985 · 13 hours before
- Departed
- AQY · Girdwood, 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 429 total · 334 in this make and model · 371 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8035D · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.