Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Sparrevohn Lrrs Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Sparrevohn, Alaska 99659
Wednesday, January 29, 1997 23:10 AST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The CFR Part 135 cargo flight (flt) departed at night on an IFR flt with a load of mining equipment. Route of flt was over remote/mountainous terrain. About 2 hrs after takeoff, while cruising at 12,000' msl, the right engine (#2 eng) & propeller began to overspeed. The captain (capt) feathered the #2 eng & declared an emergency. He began to divert to an alternate destination, about 120 miles away in an area of lower terrain, but the aircraft (acft) would not maintain altitude (single eng service ceiling, as loaded, was about 8,700'). The capt increased power to the #1 eng, but it began to produce banging & coughing noises. The capt elected to perform an emergency landing at a nearby, remote, military airfield (A/F). The A/F was located in mountainous terrain & had a one-way, daylight only approach. The capt lowered the gear & flaps, & began a visual approach while attempting to keep the runway end identifier lights (REIL) in view. The acft encountered severe turbulence, & the capt applied full throttle to the #1 eng in an attempt to climb. The REIL disappeared from view, & the acft collided with snow covered terrain about 2 miles west of the A/F. Ground personnel at the A/F reported high winds & blowing snow with limited visibility. Postcrash exam of the #2 eng revealed a loss of the propeller control system hydraulic oil. Flt at 12,000' was conducted without crew oxygen. The crew had exceeded their maximum allowable duty day without adequate crew rest.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
loss of the right engine propeller control oil, which led to an overspeed of the right engine and propeller, and necessitated a shut-down of the right engine; and failure of the pilot to maintain adequate altitude/distance from terrain during visual approach for a precautionary landing at an alternate airport. Factors relating to the accident were: fluctuation of the left engine power, premature lowering of the airplane flaps, and an encounter with adverse weather conditions (including high winds, severe turbulence, and white-out conditions) during the approach.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/29/1997 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 2310 |
| Event Time Zone | Atlantic Standard Time |
| Event City | SPARREVOHN |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99659 |
| Event Date Year | 1997 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | SPARREVOHN LRRS |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | SVW |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 2 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 258 |
| Airport Elevation | 1583 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2315 Atlantic Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 78 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SVW |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1583 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 2 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | AST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 6000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 4800 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -2 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -6 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 170 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 28 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 903 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 30 1997 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 107 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 12:05PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N702SC |
| NTSB Number | ANC97FA024 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | de Havilland |
| Aircraft Model | DHC-4A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | DHC-4A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 126 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 28500 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 3 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | AAIP |
| Date of Last Inspection | Dec 30 1996 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 12 |
| Airframe Hours | 13923 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | JAMES A. MUNSON |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 135 GRANITE POINT COURT |
| Aircraft Owner City | KENAI |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99961 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | SOUTH CENTRAL AIR |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | SOCA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Non-scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Cargo |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | KSM |
| Departure City | ST MARYS |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 2105 |
| Departure Time Zone | AST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | ENA |
| Destination City | KENAI |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 34 |
| Runway Length | 4100 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |