ANC93LA145

The pilot said as she approached the 5,000 foot Pass she started a climb to gain sufficient altitude. She said the airplane was not climbing fast enough to get to the necessary crossing altitude so she started a turn to reverse direction. During the turn, the airplane collided at the 3,000 foot level of the mountain. The pilot said she had not previously attempted to fly through this Pass.

History of flight

On August 28, 1993, at 1345 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 172 airplane, N80303, collided with the mountainous terrain while maneuvering at Atigan Pass, Alaska. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Deadhorse, Alaska, at 1151. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed.

During a telephone interview with the pilot on August 30, 1993, she stated the following, in part: "As I approached the Pass from the north, I determined that I would have to climb higher to get through. The airplane was climbing, and the airspeed kept getting slower. I didn't think I would get high enough to cross the Pass, so I started a turn in order to climb higher. I had the airspeed just above stall speed, and was in the turn when I hit the mountainside. I might have had carburetor ice, but the engine sounded normal. The airplane just would not climb fast enough. I had not previously flown as pilot-in-command through Atigan Pass, or north of the Brooks Mountain Range."

The crash site is at the 3,000 foot level of the 5,000 foot Atigan Pass.

Additional information

According to FAA records, at 1137 the pilot was given a standard weather briefing at the Deadhorse Flight Service Station. The briefing included "VFR not recommended" for the pilot's desired rout of flight; and "no current observations or pilot reports available" for the area where the crash later occurred.

Pump Station #4 of the TransAlaska Oil Pipeline is located approximately 10 miles north of the crash site. At the time of the accident, the weather at the pump station was reportedly 5,000 overcast, 10 miles visibility, temperature 5 degrees Fahrenheit, calm winds, and raining.