SEA99FA116

The flight departed Boise about 0701 for a reported destination of Smiley Creek, a remote backcountry airstrip. The pilot did not file a flight plan for the flight. Radar tracked the airplane proceeding directly toward Smiley Creek until radar contact was lost near the Smiley Creek airstrip about 0734. There was no further contact with the aircraft. Three days later, a concerned individual reported one of the aircraft occupants as missing, and a search for the aircraft was initiated. The FAA Alert Notice (ALNOT) on the missing aircraft listed Smiley Creek and Big Creek (a remote backcountry airport 77 nautical miles northwest of Smiley Creek) as potential flight destinations (the occupants had accommodation reservations at a tourist lodge at the Big Creek airport starting on the night the flight departed Boise but never checked in to the lodge.) The aircraft wreckage was found later that evening about 100 yards north of the north end of the Big Creek airport runway. The aircraft was destroyed, and all occupants were found dead at the accident scene. Impact path signatures and wreckage condition and distribution at the scene were consistent with an uncontrolled, relatively low-speed impact on a southerly flight path indicative of an attempt to land at Big Creek to the south (the airport's normal landing direction.) The pilot's wristwatch was stopped at approximately 8:29. Investigators found no evidence of any mechanical problems with the aircraft during an on-site examination of the wreckage. McCall, Idaho, 37 nautical miles away from the accident site and about 700 feet lower in elevation than Big Creek, reported weather conditions equating to a density altitude of about 5,400 feet at McCall at 0850. The Big Creek airport, located in a valley, has a ridge adjacent to, and east of, the runway, such that visual contact with the runway is lost for much of the downwind and turn-to-final portions of the approach; visual contact with the runway is not regained until shortly before rolling out on final.

History of flight

On Friday, July 9, 1999, at 0701 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182D, N8761X, registered to the Solar Flying Company (a Boise, Idaho, flying club consisting of six pilots who shared ownership of the aircraft), was cleared for takeoff from Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. The pilot of the aircraft told Boise Clearance Delivery prior to departure that the flight was bound for the Smiley Creek airport (a non-towered, unattended airport 65 nautical miles east-northeast of Boise) under visual flight rules (VFR); however, no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR 91 personal flight. Boise Approach Control terminated radar service to the aircraft and approved a frequency change approximately 0710, following the aircraft's departure from Boise's Class C airspace. Following termination of radar service to the aircraft, ATC radar tracked the airplane heading generally direct toward Smiley Creek until radar contact was lost with the aircraft approximately 6 1/2 nautical miles west-southwest of Smiley Creek at approximately 0734. No further contact between ATC and the aircraft following loss of radar contact was reported. Approximately 1100 on Monday, July 12, 1999, a concerned individual reported the aircraft as missing to the Idaho State Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division, who in turn notified the FAA. The FAA issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) on the missing aircraft at 1432 on July 12, and a search for the aircraft was initiated. The wreckage of the aircraft was located the evening of July 12, in a heavily wooded stream bed approximately 100 yards north of the north end of the single north-south runway at the Big Creek, Idaho, airport (a non-towered, unattended airport 102 nautical miles north-northeast of Boise and approximately 77 nautical miles northwest of Smiley Creek.) The aircraft was found to be destroyed by impact forces and fire, and all four aircraft occupants (a private pilot member of the Solar Flying Company flying club, presumed to have been the pilot-in-command, and three passengers) were found fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions were reported at McCall, Idaho (36 nautical miles west-southwest of the Big Creek airport) during the entire time frame from the aircraft's departure from Boise the morning of July 9 until the aircraft wreckage was located at Big Creek on the evening of July 12. There was no report of an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) activation.

Investigation disclosed that the aircraft occupants had reserved accommodations at the Big Creek Lodge (adjacent to the Big Creek airport) for the nights of Friday, July 9 and Saturday, July 10, but that they never checked into the lodge, which is accessible by either road or air. No witnesses to the accident were identified, nor were any persons who observed or had contact with the accident aircraft (or its occupants) between the time radar contact was lost with the aircraft and the time the aircraft wreckage was located. However, one pilot who stated he flew into Big Creek on the morning of July 9 (he could not recall his exact arrival time) reported that he observed no smoke as he flew directly over the crash site and landed, but after taxiing to the tiedowns and shutting down his engine he observed a column of smoke rising just off the north end of the field. This pilot reported that he did not hear anyone else radio an approach to Big Creek in that time frame. He further stated that since the Forest Service periodically hauls trash to that vicinity to burn it, he assumed that they had lit a trash fire right after he flew over.

During a visit to the Valley County, Idaho, Coroner in McCall on July 13, 1999, investigators noted that the pilot's wristwatch was stopped at 8:29:36. However, there was no way of distinguishing AM from PM on the watch.

Based on a presumed accident time of 0829 on July 9, 1999, the accident occurred during the hours of daylight. The accident occurred at approximately 45 degrees 8.3 minutes North latitude and 115 degrees 19.0 minutes West longitude.

Personnel information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. The best available information regarding the pilot's flight experience, an insurance questionnaire on file with Solar Flying Company, indicated that as of June 8, 1999, the pilot had 247 hours total pilot time, including 86 hours in the Cessna 182. His last required flight review took place in a Cessna 182 aircraft in March 1999. Solar Flying Company reported that the pilot possessed an FAA third-class medical certificate dated November 2, 1998, which carried a limitation requiring glasses.

Aircraft information

The aircraft, a 1960 Cessna 182D, received its last annual inspection on July 2, 1998, at 2,995.62 hours total airframe time. Total airframe time as of the last entry in the aircraft log, dated January 20, 1999, was 3,069.11 hours. The aircraft's 230-horespower Continental O-470-R reciprocating engine had 2,240.62 hours total time since new and 441.62 hours since major overhaul at the time of the July 2, 1998, annual inspection.

Meteorological information

The 0850 METAR observation at McCall, Idaho (37 nautical miles west-southwest of the accident site, elevation 5,020 feet) reported clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, calm winds, temperature 12 degrees C, dewpoint 4 degrees C, and altimeter setting 30.29 inches Hg. Based on the above reported altimeter setting, temperature, and field elevation values, density altitude at McCall at 0850 was computed to be approximately 5,400 feet.

Sunset at the Big Creek airport on July 9 was at 2130.

Aerodrome and ground facilities

The Big Creek airport is located in the Idaho backcountry, adjacent to the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The airport is unattended, although a ranger station and a tourist lodge are located adjacent to the airport. The airport has a single turf runway, 01/19, 3,550 feet long and 110 feet wide. The airport elevation is 5,743 feet above sea level. The U.S. Government Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD) recommends landing to the south and taking off to the north when conditions allow, and identifies runway 19 obstacles as "Trees". The airport is equipped with a wind indicator and utilizes a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) of 122.9 megahertz.

The runway, located in a valley, has an approximately 325-foot-high ridge (the "Hogback") adjacent to its east edge. The normal approach to runway 19 is flown around the Hogback to the east and north, such that visual contact with the runway is lost during much of the latter portion of the downwind leg and the majority of the turn to final approach for runway 19. Visual contact with the runway is regained as the aircraft approaches rollout on final. The Idaho State Airport Facilities Directory entry for Big Creek states that "pilots should be experienced in high density altitude and turbulent air."

Wreckage

Investigators from the NTSB, FAA, Cessna Aircraft Company, and Teledyne Continental Motors performed an on-site examination of the aircraft wreckage on July 14, 1999. The majority of the aircraft wreckage was found inverted in, and on the east bank of, a generally north-south oriented stream. The overall wreckage pattern was generally of a size and shape similar to that of the original aircraft. The aircraft's wings were generally aligned with the stream, with the left wing tip to the north and the right wing tip to the south; both leading edges faced approximately west. The aircraft's nose was pointed approximately north. The aircraft's empennage was found in a "nose-down" orientation on the east bank of the stream, adjacent to the rest of the aircraft wreckage and attached to it by control cables. The cabin section of the aircraft was largely destroyed by fire; surviving remnants of the cabin area such as seat frame and port