- Date
- February 11, 2012, 17:20 local (Feb 12, 2012, 01:20 UTC)
- Place
- Concrete, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1155CPiper PA-18-135
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20120212001729A
- Case key
- 82869
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 did not attain and maintain sufficient altitude to clear terrain while maneuvering.
Findings · 2
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
The pilot reported that while flying, he observed injured snowmobilers waving for help. After radioing for assistance, the pilot gathered emergency supplies from within the airplane and prepared to air-drop the supplies to the snowmobilers and configured the airplane for a slow approach over their location. After a successful drop, he applied full power and banked left to avoid terrain. The airplane encountered a downdraft and started to descend with the left wing low. Despite the pilot’s control inputs, the airplane continued to lose altitude until it impacted the glacier below. The airplane’s firewall and both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal flight.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that while flying, he observed injured snowmobilers waving for help. After radioing for assistance, the pilot gathered emergency supplies from within the airplane and prepared to air drop the supplies to the snowmobilers and configured the airplane for a slow approach over their location. After a successful drop, he applied full power and banked left to avoid terrain. The airplane encountered a downdraft and started to descend with the left wing low. Despite the pilot’s control inputs, the airplane continued to lose altitude until it impacted the glacier below. The airplane’s firewall and both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1155C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-2457
- Airframe hours
- 3,696
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kyle Martin
- Registered owner
- 208 Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2011 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- WA90 · Sudden Valley, WA
- Destination
- WA90 · Sudden Valley, WA
- Airport
- 3W5 · Mears Field Airport
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
- 28
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 11, 2011
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,071 total · 750 in this make and model · 976 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- BLI, 27 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 21, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.