Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Beluga Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Beluga, Alaska 99695
Friday, December 22, 1989 18:10 AST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE ACFT WAS ON AN IFR FLT FM KENIA TO THE BELUGA ARPT. THE ARPT DID NOT HAVE AN INST APCH PROC, A CO-LOCATED NAVAID OR A CO-LOCATED INTXN OR FIX. RPRTDLY, PLTS WOULD ROUTINELY FILE IFR FOR THE RTE, FLY OBND FM KENAI FOR 34.5 MI, THEN ATMT VIS ACQUISITION OF THE ARPT. ON THIS FLT, ARTCC CLRD THE PLT TO FLY DRCT TO THE ARPT AT AN ALT OF 2000 FT. BFR RCHG THE ARPT, THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED RCPT OF A CLNC TO CRUISE AT 2000 FT & TO RPRT CANCELLATION OF IFR, THEN THERE WAS NO FURTHER COMM BTN ARTCC & THE FLT. MODE C RADAR DATA SHOWED THE ACFT DSCNDD TO 600 FT AS IT WAS APCHG ABT 5 MI SOUTH OF THE BELUGA ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT FLEW PAST THE UNCTLD ARPT & CRASHED INTO TREES ABT 8 MI NW OF THE ARPT. MARKS ON THE TREES SHOWED THE ACFT WAS IN A RGT DSCNDING TURN ON AN EASTERLY HDG, WHEN IT CRASHED. ELEV OF THE CRASH SITE WAS 560 FT. MIN SAFE (IFR) ALT FOR THE BELUGA ARPT AREA WAS 2000 FT. THERE WERE INDCNS THAT THE DESTN WX WAS BELOW VFR CONDS. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE ACDNT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE. DARKNESS AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/22/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1810 |
| Event Time Zone | Atlantic Standard Time |
| Event City | BELUGA |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99695 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | BELUGA |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | BLG |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 8 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 300 |
| Airport Elevation | 130 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 1751 Atlantic Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 240 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ANC |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 144 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 25 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | AST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 500 |
| 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) | -2 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -3 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 170 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| 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 | Moderate |
| 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 | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2111 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 22 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1900 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 41608 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 1:15PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N302SC |
| NTSB Number | ANC90FA021 |
| 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 | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-31 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-31 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 31-8275004 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 9050 |
| 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 | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 13 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 55 |
| Airframe Hours | 9266 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | SOUTHCENTRAL AIR |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 135 GRANITE POINT COURT, |
| Aircraft Owner City | KENAI |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99611 |
| 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 | 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 | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | ENA |
| Departure City | KENAI |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1745 |
| Departure Time Zone | AST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | BLG |
| Destination City | BELUGA |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| 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 | 18 |
| Runway Length | 5000 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |