Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Sutton, Alaska 99674
Thursday, August 29, 2013 13:00 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
On August 29, 2013, about 1300 Alaska daylight time, a Champion 7ECA (Citabria) airplane, N9624S, sustained substantial damage following a collision with terrain about 7 miles north of Sutton, Alaska. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to, and operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules personal local flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Wolf Lake Airport, Palmer, Alaska, around 1200.
According to a family member of the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to scout for locations to hunt moose, and the pilot said that they would return later that afternoon.
When the airplane did not return to Wolf Lake, a family member of the passenger reported the airplane overdue to the 11th Air Force’s Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) about 1930. The RCC initiated a search for the missing airplane along its supposed route of flight. In the early morning hours of August 30, an Air National Guard C-130 Hercules was able to locate the wreckage. Rescue personnel aboard a HH-60G helicopter were able to reach the site later that morning, and confirmed the pilot and passenger were deceased.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) along with an additional NTSB investigator reached the accident site on the morning of August 31. The wreckage was located in an area of heavy alder brush, about 250 yards upslope of the floor of an approximately three mile wide mountain valley. The airplane came to rest upright, in a nose-low attitude, and was resting on several toppled and broken trees. The tail was suspended against a tree by the vertical stabilizer. All control surfaces were identified at the accident site, and flight control continuity was verified from all of the flight control surfaces to the cockpit. A detailed wreckage examination is pending, following recovery of the airplane.
The closest weather reporting facility is the Palmer Airport, about 14 miles south of the accident site. At 1353, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) was reporting, in part: Wind, 060 degrees (true) at 6 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, overcast at 10,000 feet; temperature, 57 degrees; dew point, 48 degrees; altimeter, 29.73 inches.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/29/2013 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1300 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | Sutton |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99674 |
| Event Date Year | 2013 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 614728N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1490050W |
| 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 | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1553 Atlantic Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 189 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PAAQ |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 13 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | ADT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 10000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 14 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 9 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 60 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.72 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | -- |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA AAL Regional Operations Ce |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 5 2013 4:20PM |
| User who most recently changed record | stam |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N9624S |
| NTSB Number | ANC13FA090 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | -- |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CHAMPION |
| Aircraft Model | 7ECA |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 169 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | -- |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | -- |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | C91-A |
| Aircraft Owner Name | NORTON ADAM C |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | PALMER |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99645-1821 |
| Operator is an individual? | Yes |
| Operator Name | NORTON ADAM C |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | PALMER |
| Operator State | AK |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 99645-1821 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | 4AK6 |
| Departure City | Palmer |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1200 |
| Departure Time Zone | ADT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | 4AK6 |
| Destination City | Palmer |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 5 2013 4:20PM |
| User who most recently changed record | stam |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | N/A |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |