Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Nome, Alaska 99762
Tuesady, January 5, 1993 20:21 AST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
AFTER MAKING A REFUELING STOP, THE PILOT TOOK OFF AT NIGHT & WAS CRUISING AT FLIGHT LEVEL 200. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES OF FLIGHT, THE RIGHT ENGINE FUEL FILTER BYPASS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ABOUT 2 MINUTES LATER, THE SAME WARNING LIGHT FOR THE LEFT ENGINE ILLUMINATED. SOON THEREAFTER THE RIGHT ENGINE, THEN THE LEFT ENGINE, LOST POWER. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A MOVING ICE PACK IN THE BERING SEA, WHICH RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. ICE WAS FOUND IN THE ENGINE & MAIN FUEL SCREENS. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF WATER AND/OR ICE WERE FOUND IN 3 TANKS, WHICH HAD BEEN REFUELED BEFORE TAKEOFF. A HIGHER THAN NORMAL AMOUNT OF WATER WAS ALSO FOUND IN THE FUEL SAMPLE TAKEN FROM THE NOZZLE OF THE REFUELING TANKER. THE FLIGHT MANUAL REQUIRED THAT AN APPROVED ICE INHIBITOR BE ADDED TO THE FUEL, IF NOT PREMIXED. FUEL AT THE REFUELING STOP WAS NOT PREMIXED & THE PILOT HAD NO ICING INHIBITOR (PRIST) WITH HIM ON THIS FLIGHT. HE DID NOT DRAIN FUEL FROM THE TANKS DURING PREFLIGHT, SINCE THE TEMPERATURE WAS SO COLD HE FEARED THE DRAIN MIGHT FREEZE OPEN.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FUEL STARVATION DUE TO IMPROPER REFUELING PROCEDURES BY THE FBO PERSONNEL, INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT BY THE PILOT, AND RESULTANT ICE IN THE FUEL, WHICH BLOCKED FUEL FLOW TO THE ENGINES. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/5/1993 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 2021 |
| Event Time Zone | Atlantic Standard Time |
| Event City | NOME |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99762 |
| Event Date Year | 1993 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1954 Atlantic Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 315 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | OME |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 37 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 18 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | AST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 1500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 400 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 2 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -2 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -2 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 90 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 16 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 812 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 5 1993 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2035 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 1:06PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N900YH |
| NTSB Number | ANC93LA025 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | MITSUBISHI |
| Aircraft Model | MU-2B-35 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | MU-2B-35 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 584 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 10800 |
| 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 | 10 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | AAIP |
| Date of Last Inspection | Sep 10 1992 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 75 |
| Airframe Hours | 6725 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | BERING AIR, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P. O. BOX 1650 |
| Aircraft Owner City | NOME |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99762 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | BERING AIR, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | P. O. BOX 1650 |
| Operator City | NOME |
| Operator State | AK |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 99762 |
| Operator Code | FXTA |
| 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 | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Positioning |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | BET |
| Departure City | BETHEL |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1928 |
| Departure Time Zone | AST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |