# NTSB ANC98LA103: Cessna 206, N7370N, Palmer, AK, July 19, 1998 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 18, 1998, 18:28 local (Jul 19, 1998, 02:28 UTC) - Place: Palmer, AK - Coordinates: 61.620159, -148.980773 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.6202&lon=-148.9808&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 19, 1999 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 43071 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC98LA103 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/43071/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC98LA103 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions, and inadequate clearance from mountainous terrain. Factors were the downslope winds and downdrafts. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, cruise - weather condition - downdraft (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - altitude/clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - terrain condition - mountainous/hilly (contributing factor) ## Analysis The float equipped airplane was reported by the pilot to be in cruise flight about 800 feet above the surface of a glacier. He estimated the gross weight of the airplane at 3,312 pounds. He was flying in an up-glacier direction, in a mountainous valley. The prevailing winds at the surface were reported by the pilot to be 15 knots in a down-glacier direction. The pilot stated that the airplane began to descend rapidly, and that full power did not arrest the descent. The Cessna U206G performance charts indicate a climb rate between 915 and 1,005 feet per minute given the prevailing conditions. The pilot said there were no mechanical problems with the airplane, and that he did not attempt to turn because the most favorable landing terrain was ahead of the airplane. The airplane collided with slightly rising terrain, in a wings level, nose up attitude, just as the stall warning horn activated. The airplane sustained substantial damage. There were no injuries to the four occupants. ## Factual narrative On July 18, 1998, at 1828 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 206 airplane, N7370N, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain about 3,000 feet msl at 61 degrees 24.38 minutes North latitude, 148 degrees 14.09 minutes West longitude. The commercial pilot and the three passengers were not injured. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight to view glaciers. The flight departed from Six Mile Lake Seaplane Base, Anchorage, Alaska, at 1755. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) during a telephone interview on July 18, 1998, that while cruising at 95 knots, in an up glacier direction about 700 feet above the glacier surface, the airplane began to descend rapidly. The pilot stated he added power, but was unable to arrest the descent before colliding with slightly rising terrain near the glacier's edge. The pilot indicated that he did not attempt to turn because the most favorable landing terrain was ahead of the airplane. He said in the interview, and wrote in his pilot/operator report, that the winds on the surface were flowing down the glacier approximately 15 knots, and the temperature was 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The pilot calculated the airplane's weight to be 3,312 pounds. The Cessna Model U206G rate of climb table shows a maximum rate of climb at 3,300 pounds and 2,000 feet pressure altitude, given a temperature between 0 and 20 degrees C, to be between 915 feet per minute (fpm) and 1,005 fpm. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N7370N](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7370N-2010-08-05), registration cancelled 2010-08-05, S/N U20603639, built 1977 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 206 - Registry model: [Cessna U206G](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-u206g) (registry code 2073356) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: U20603639 - Airframe hours: 3861 - Engines: Continental IO-520F 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Gary Hitchings - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 5, 1998, 8 hours before - Departed: EDF, SIX MILE LAKE, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 56; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 3,808 total, 683 in this make and model, 3,748 as pilot in command, 9 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 45° at 15 knots, gusting 20 - Visibility: 30 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 8,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 55 °F, dew point 45 °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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19980718023669A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980718023669A), Jul 18, 1998: Cessna U206G, Palmer, AK, Destroyed. Flying low up glacier slope got downdraft. Descended. Collided with glacier. Winds flowing down glacier. (.4)the float equipped airplane was reported by the… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.