- Date
- August 20, 1991, 13:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ketchikan, AK
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N68HAPilatus Britten-Norman BN-2A-26 Islander
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910820035119A
- Case key
- 41335
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 attempting to operate VFR in instrument meteorological conditions. Factors contributing to the accident were upsloping terrain in the aircraft's flight path as well as weather conditions resulting in an obscuration of the terrain.
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
Approximately 3/4 of an hour after departing for wrangell, Alaska, the pilot of the regularly scheduled commuter flight contacted company dispatch approximately 30 miles from Ketchikan, and reported that he was returning due to weather. Shortly thereafter, the pilot communicated with another company pilot flying in the same vicinity and both pilots described the weather at their respective locations as 'marginal'. Weather conditins at the Ketchikan international airport (18 nautical miles from the crash site) at the time of the accident were characterized by low ceilings, multiple cloud layers and reduced (3 mile) visibilities with light rain. The aircraft collided with trees/rising terrain at 800 feet MSL while in a near level flight path headed east southeast. Right wingtip impact signatures indicated a very shallow right wing down/nose up attitude at the initial tree impacts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68HA
- Reported as
- Pilatus Britten-Norman BN-2A-26 Islander (BN-2A-26 I)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2009
- Airframe hours
- 16,395
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4C5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Temsco Helicopters, Inc., doing business as Temsco Airlines
- Registered owner
- Temsco Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 13, 1991 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- KTN · Ketchikan, AK
- Destination
- WRG · Wrangell, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- KTN · Ketchikan Intnl
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,107 total · 740 in this make and model · 4,876 as pilot in command · 285 in the last 90 days · 69 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 150° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KTN, 18 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.