- Date
- January 18, 1993, 08:50 local (12:50 UTC)
- Place
- Teller, AK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1776GCessna 310
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19930118000469A
- Case key
- 5834
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-in-command's failure to maintain an adequate terrain avoidance altitude. Factors which contributed to the accident were the dark night and featureless snow covered terrain, both which created a 'featureless terrain illusion' which probably led the pilot to visually overestimate his altitude.
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 airplane collided with nearly level terrain about 3 mi se of the destination airport. The terrain was snow covered, featureless, unilluminated, and the night sky was very dark. The airport is not served by any navigation aids. Navigation in the area is done by 'pilotage.' Witness reports indicated the visibility of ground reference objects was not possible due to the total darkness and lack of contrast with complete snow covered terrain. The accident occurred prior to the onset of civil twilight. No record of pre-dawn company flights by the pilot during the past 90 days were found. Cessna aircraft company provides a warning 'featureless terrain illusion, an absence of ground features, as when landing over water, darkened areas and terrain made 'featureless by snow' can create the illusion that the airplane is at a higher altitude than it actually is. The pilot who does not recognize this illusion will tend to fly a lower approach.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1776G
- Reported as
- Cessna 310
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310R0043
- Airframe hours
- 4,914
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-M, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Olson Air Service, Inc, doing business as Olson Air Service
- Registered owner
- Olson Air Service, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 11, 1993 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- OME · Nome, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 12,368 total · 1,127 in this make and model · 11,768 as pilot in command · 192 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -33 °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.