Will be interesting to hear more about this one. You don't often hear about Navajos going down like this - not with minor injuries. Luckily there was likely a lot of usable light left, sunset up there was about 6:50pm local.


Six survive plane crash near Nome

The Associated Press

Originally published Friday, February 20, 2009 at 7:30 a.m.
Updated Friday, February 20, 2009 at 9:19 a.m.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The pilot and all five passengers of a commuter flight survived a crash late Thursday outside Nome.

Frontier Flying Service flight 8218 was en route from Brevig Mission to Nome, but didn't arrive on time.

Alaska State Troopers say after an extensive air and ground search, the plane was found about just a few miles northeast of Nome.

Frontier President Jim Hajdukovich told the Anchorage Daily News one person suffered minor injuries. All were taken to a hospital in Nome for evaluation.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, nor was information on how the pilot was able to guide the plane in.

The pilot of the Piper PA-31-350 last made radio contact with the tower at about 6:30 p.m., troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

The plane then lost contact and failed to arrive in Nome at the flight's scheduled time.

Hajdukovich said the plane went down a few miles outside Nome, near a place called Newton Peak.

An emergency locator beacon had been activated, which helped searchers, said National Transportation Safety Board investigator Clint Johnson.

He planned to speak to the pilot when his investigation started Friday.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/aviation ... 96241.html

Stormy weather near Nome apparently caused the pilot of a commuter airplane with five passengers to fly the craft into the ground while approaching the area, Alaska State Troopers said Friday.

Good pics on the ADN link. White plane on white snow sure is tough to spot at a distance. My neighbor puts big florescent orange markings all over his Navajos and Chieftan. Looks pretty silly at first, but you sure do notice them sooner air-to-air.

-DP

Hmmm, from a week ago in Kotz. See any pattern here. We get one of these flat light/whiteout landings year up there, and they always land about 1/2 mile short of Runway 8 out on the ice..

Gump



NTSB Identification: ANC09LA019
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Accident occurred Saturday, February 14, 2009 in Kotzebue, AK
Aircraft: CONSTRUCCIONES AERONAUTICAS SA C-212-CC, registration: N440RA
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On February 16, about 1100 Alaska standard time, a CASA 212 twin-engine airplane, N440RA, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain about one-half mile west of the Kotzebue Airport, Kotzebue, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by Arctic Transportation Services, Anchorage, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) cargo flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airline transport pilot and co-pilot were not injured. Instrument meteorological conditioned prevailed at the airport, and a special VFR clearance had been obtained by the flight crew.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on February 17, the pilot said he flew a normal VFR traffic pattern. He said that the area and runway were covered with snow, but when he turned final he could see the airport beacon and associated buildings. He said as he continued the approach, the co-pilot called an altitude of 200 feet, and as he did so, the wind shifted abruptly. The pilot said he lost sight of the airport, and asked the co-pilot if he could see the airport. When the co-pilot said no, the pilot said he initiated a go-around, but the airplane impacted the terrain short of the runway. The pilot said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane or its instruments prior to the accident. He also said he and the co-pilot were instrument current, and the airplane was properly certified. The Director of Operations for the operator said the airplane sustained structural damage to the fuselage near the left main landing gear.

An FAA flight Service Specialist at the airport said the visibility had been about 1 1/4 miles, but dropped to 1/4 mile rapidly during the time of the approach.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/697442.html

According to ADN the pilot was in flat light whiteout, requested to be put in a hold for traffic, and then went in while in the hold Gump or someone can share with us whether or not he was likely in an IFR hold on an approach or was more likely in some sort of VFR racetrack. Note that unless something has changed in the last year these are single pilot IFR ops, under part 121 I believe. Not expressing an opinion about that kind of operation, just telling folks that's how it is. There was a good article in AOPA Pilot a couple of years ago about a big iron pilot from the lower 48 who was furloughed back in the early nineties and got a job flying single pilot scheduled service in a Navajo out of Fairbanks to tide him over until he was recalled by the big boys, and how the flying stretched his skills.

Frontier has both 121 and 135 certificates. They'd be operating the Navajo under the 135, and it's legal for single pilot IFR IF the autopilot is functioning.

It's easy to go from good VFR to nothing nothing out in that country PDQ. And, not every place has instrument approaches or infrastructure.

Bummer on both airplanes, but fortunate that nobody got killed.

MTV

He was VFR, waiting for a Special in, or as MTV calls if, "Pretend VFR."

There is NO depth perception in that crap, and guys whack the ground on a quite regular basis when flying in it.

On the northwest AK coast it's a huge problem, as the runway ends run right to the water, or in winter, the ice. You come up over town with good depth perception from the airport and buildings, but then fly out over the ice in whiteout conditions, then have to make the descending turn from downwind, base, to final all on the gauges, even though you're "VFR"

You really have to watch the VSI as you come around, or else you'll drive right into the ice and never see it happen. Guys bite it on departure too, don't get a positive rate of climb over the ice, and settle right in while turning crosswind.

Nasty stuff.

Gump

White out is something that is difficult to comprehend unless you've actually experienced it. Flying around the west coast of AK in winter in a Cub is less fun than I've had on a lot of other flights. Spent a lot of time waiting. We had a Cub stationed in OTZ and the pilot told maintenance he wanted an IFR panel. They thought he was nuts. I didn't.

I've been standing out on the ice in front of Kotzebue, looking out across the lagoon, watching a snow machine run across the lagoon, and I could have sworn he was climbing pretty steeply.

Gump is right, and its really hard to believe you can't fly visually till you're in it.

MTV

Can't say much right now but feel I need to set the record striaght, just got back last night from the crash site, spent all day Friday recovering radios, instruments, etc.

Pilot was holding outside of the control zone waiting for a special. Was cleared into the zone but never arrived. Thought he was one hill farther east than he actually was. Headed straight to the airport and ran into rising terrain. Was still daylight but everything was white, no trees or anything else to give any depth perception. Nome had just received over 9" of snow and it was all piled on the lee side of the hill from the wind. Airplane came to rest in about 5-6 feet of powder. great to cushion the impact, but miserable to do a recovery in. Will share more details after Investigation is complete.

ruplanecrazy wrote: Airplane came to rest in about 5-6 feet of powder. great to cushion the impact, but miserable to do a recovery in.

Another reason to always have your boots and powder skis onboard. It could have turned a otherwise bad day into a good one.

GumpAir wrote:Hmmm, from a week ago in Kotz. See any pattern here. We get one of these flat light/whiteout landings year up there, and they always land about 1/2 mile short of Runway 8 out on the ice..

Gump

If those snowmachines weren't in that photo, that Casa would appear to be floating in air. That's what it's like in real life...

Gump

So I have a stupid question.

Why do pilots keep doing this?

Are there no published approaches to that runway?

If there are no published approaches why don't these operators program there GPS's so they can cross check there height above the LZ and if they are even over the runway?

Please excuse my inexperience.

Rob

Going to Umiat from Anaktuvuk Pass and about half way there as I flew beyond where the willows stick out of the snow, about then I passed under the cloud layer and everything went to milk. I had the gages set and let it run for a while. When I got to Gunsight Mt. there was a little bunch of caribou working around the top of that hill and it looked like they were walking in the sky. You could see quite far as long as you were looking at something dark aginst the snow but white on white and there was no depth perseption at all, makes you set up and pay attention.

GumpAir wrote:If those snowmachines weren't in that photo, that Casa would appear to be floating in air. That's what it's like in real life...

Gump

Sort of like that story about the guys who accidentally landed Greenland in the snow, gear up, in zero viz. If I remember correctly, they reported a loss of airspeed and poured the coals to her, but eventually airspeed dropped to zero. They then realized they had unintenionally landed very smoothly in a couple feet of pow.