Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Talkeetna, Alaska 99676
Wednesday, May 28, 2003 13:30 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The airline transport pilot was conducting an on-demand charter flight in a wheel/ski-equipped airplane, with three passengers and climbing gear aboard. The flight was en route to a mountain climbing base camp located on a glacier, at the 7,200-foot msl level. A passing airplane discovered the accident airplane's wreckage at the 8,200-foot level of a remote mountain pass, along the anticipated flight route. The summit of the pass is situated about 9,000 feet msl, and oriented about east/west. The flight's anticipated direction of travel to the base camp was westbound. The airplane wreckage came to rest atop snow-covered glacial terrain, within a large "U" shaped, up-sloping valley, about 500 east of the pass summit. The nose of the airplane was oriented in the opposite direction of the flight's anticipated direction of travel. The airplane struck the snow-covered terrain in a near horizontal position, wings level, and about 5 degrees nose down. The NTSB investigator-in-charge documented all passenger, pilot, and cargo positions. After recovery, actual occupant and climbing gear/cargo weights were documented. The gross weight of the airplane at the time of the accident was estimated to be 20 pounds over the airplane's maximum gross weight limit of 3,350. Since there are no center of gravity (CG) limits for weights over maximum gross weight, the estimated CG of the airplane at the time of the accident, 154.1 inches, was compared to the limits at maximum gross weight, 140 to 156 inches, and found to be near the aft limit. No evidence of any preaccident mechanical anomalies was noted. The engine was placed on an engine test stand, started, and operated at various power settings, for an extended time. The engine produced its maximum rated rpm.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall, an uncontrolled descent and in-flight collision with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was rising terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/28/2003 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1330 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | Talkeetna |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99676 |
| Event Date Year | 2003 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | -- |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | -- |
| Event Location Latitude | 625244N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1510400W |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1353 Atlantic Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 110 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PTKA |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 358 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 40 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | ADT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 20 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 1 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 330 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.79 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| 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) | 14506 |
| NTSB Notification Source | NPS VIA ANC FAA, ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 28 2003 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1500 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 30 2003 8:55AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Anchorage FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N70176 |
| NTSB Number | ANC03FA051 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | Yes |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 185 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 18502037 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3350 |
| 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 | AAIP |
| Date of Last Inspection | Aug 30 2002 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 95.3 |
| Airframe Hours | 7859.3 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | McKinley Air Service |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O.Box 544 |
| Aircraft Owner City | Talkeetna |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99676 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | McKinley Air Service |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | P.O.Box 544 |
| Operator City | Talkeetna |
| Operator State | AK |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 99676 |
| Operator Code | M6TC |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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) | -- |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | TKA |
| Departure City | Talkeetna |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1253 |
| Departure Time Zone | ADT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | TKA |
| Destination City | Talkeetna |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 17 2003 2:19PM |
| User who most recently changed record | PETL |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | Yes |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |