Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Ketchikan Intnl Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Ketchikan, Alaska 99903
Tuesady, August 20, 1991 13:15 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
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.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
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.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/20/1991 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1315 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | KETCHIKAN |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99903 |
| Event Date Year | 1991 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | KETCHIKAN INTNL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | KTN |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1255 Atlantic Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 106 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | KTN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 88 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 18 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | ADT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 1200 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 500 |
| 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) | 6 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 14 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 13 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 150 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 11 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| 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 | 4 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 4 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 901 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 45168 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 10:40AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Unknown |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N68HA |
| NTSB Number | SEA91FA216 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | Ground |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PILATUS BRITTEN-NORMAN |
| Aircraft Model | BN-2A-26 ISLANDER |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | BN-2A-26 I |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 2009 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6200 |
| 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 | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Aug 13 1991 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 34 |
| Airframe Hours | 16395 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | TEMSCO HELICOPTERS, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 5057 |
| Aircraft Owner City | KETCHIKAN |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99901 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | TEMSCO HELICOPTERS, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | P.O. BOX 5057 |
| Operator City | KETCHIKAN |
| Operator State | AK |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 99901 |
| Operator Code | HXSA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | External Load |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger/Cargo |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | KTN |
| Departure City | KETCHIKAN |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1225 |
| Departure Time Zone | ADT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | WRG |
| Destination City | WRANGELL |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| 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 | -- |