Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Kenai, Alaska 99611
Thursday, August 5, 1999 13:48 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The private pilot was attempting to transit a 20 mile long mountainous pass. He had delayed his flight three times the day of the accident. Pilot weather reports (PIREPS) from pilots who had flown through the pass indicated the weather deteriorated about one mile west of the accident site to 700 feet overcast ceilings and 1 mile visibility. The PIREPS described rain, mist, and winds from the east of 25 knots, gusting to 40 knots. The airplane impacted a tree on a small ridge on the side of the valley at 950 feet msl, and came to rest 380 linear feet away, at an altitude of 700 feet msl. The final flight path was on a ground track of 060 degrees magnetic, back toward the eastern entrance to the pass. The NTSB investigator-in-charge interviewed four pilots who successfully transited the pass during the time period surrounding the accident. All four indicated that at 950 feet msl, the accident airplane would have been at or into the bases of the overcast. All four also indicated they flew through the pass between 300 and 800 feet in order to maintain visual contact with the terrain. Postaccident inspection of the airplane disclosed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's intentional visual flight into known adverse weather. Factors associated with this accident were the reported low ceilings, obscuration, high winds, and turbulence.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/5/1999 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1348 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | KENAI |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99611 |
| Event Date Year | 1999 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| 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 | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 700 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Partial Obscuration |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 1 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 14 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 12 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 90 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 25 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 40 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| 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 | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1352 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 5 1999 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1930 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 23 2001 9:32AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8TL |
| NTSB Number | ANC99FA106 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 180A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 180A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 50235 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2650 |
| 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 | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 24 1998 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 120 |
| Airframe Hours | 3566 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | OPPORTUNITY FLYING CLUB, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | PO BOX 91263 |
| Aircraft Owner City | ANCHORAGE |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99509 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| 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 | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| 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) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | LHD |
| Departure City | ANCHORAGE |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1219 |
| Departure Time Zone | ADT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | CHIKUMINUK LAKE |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 23 2001 11:29AM |
| 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 | -- |