- Date
- July 3, 2017, 10:32 local (18:32 UTC)
- Place
- Hope, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9620MCessna 207
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of visual reference
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170703010789A
- Case key
- 95508
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 flight into instrument meteorological conditions and subsequent controlled flight into terrain.
Findings · 4
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
According to the pilot, he was flying the second airplane in a flight of two about 1 mile behind the lead airplane. The lead airplane pilot reported to him, via the airplane's radio, that he had encountered decreasing visibility and that he was making a 180° left turn to exit the area. The pilot recalled that, after losing sight of the lead airplane, he made a shallow climbing right turn and noticed that the terrain was rising. He recalled that he entered the clouds for a few seconds and "at that moment I ran into the trees which I never saw coming." The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the temperature was 60°F with 8 miles visibility and 1,500-ft ceilings. The nearest METAR was about 1 mile away and reported that the temperature was 54°F, dew point was 52°F, visibility was 8 statute miles with light rain, and ceiling was broken at 500 ft and overcast at 1,500 ft.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was flying the second airplane in a flight of two, about one mile behind the lead airplane. The lead airplane pilot reported to him, via the airplane's radio, that he encountered decreasing visibility, and that he was making a 180° turn to the left to exit the area. The pilot recalled that after losing sight of the lead airplane, he made a shallow climbing turn to the right and noticed that the terrain was rising. He recalled that he entered the clouds for a few seconds and, "At that moment I ran into the trees which I never saw coming." The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the temperature was 60° Fahrenheit with 8 miles visibility and 1,500-foot ceilings. The nearest METAR was about 1 mile away and reported that the temperature was 54° Fahrenheit and the dew point was 52° Fahrenheit. The visibility was 8 statute miles with light rain. The ceiling was broken at 500 feet and overcast at 1,500 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9620M
- Reported as
- Cessna 207 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20700711
- Built
- 1981
- Airframe hours
- 23,833.1
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-520-F, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Alaska Air Taxi LLC
- Registered owner
- Alaska Air Taxi LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Paso · Seldovia, AK
- Destination
- Z41 · Anchorage, AK
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 16, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 5,365 total · 3 in this make and model · 5,247 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 7 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Observed at
- PANC, 1 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 7, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.8 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.