IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 1673U Make/Model: C207 Description: 207 (Turbo)Skywagon 207, (Turbo)Stationa
Date: 11/30/2011 Time: 0425

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
City: CHUATHBALUK State: AK Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 1 PERSON ON BOARD WAS
FATALLY INJURED, AIRCRAFT WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN ALERT NOTICE, WRECKAGE
LOCATED 3 MILES FROM CHUATHBALUK, AK

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:


OTHER DATA
Activity: Business Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER


FAA FSDO: ANCHORAGE, AK (AL03) Entry date: 11/30/2011

From the Alaska State Troopers report:

Location: Chuathbaluk
Case number: 11-118768
Type: Commercial Aircraft Crash- Fatality
Text: On 11-29-11, at about 1905 hours, an Inland Aviation Cessna 207
departed Aniak for Chuathbaluk. On board the aircraft was the sole
occupant and owner of the company 61 YOA Stephen Hill of Aniak.
Individuals reported that the runway lights activated in Chuathbaluk,
but the Inland plane did not arrive. Additionally around the time the
lights activated a significant snow squall commenced, which made landing
at the airport nearly impossible. State Troopers were notified that the
plane did not land in Chuathbaluk and it was not located in Aniak. A
short time later residents of Chuathbaluk reported hearing a plane stall
near the village, but its location was unknown. At about 2115 hours,
Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Wildlife Troopers arrived in
Chuathbaluk, where aided by volunteer searchers from both Aniak and
Chuathbaluk, searched the village and downstream from Chuathbaluk. On
11-30-11, at about 0145 hours, ground searchers and troopers located the
plane approximately 3 miles southwest of Chuathbaluk in a heavily
forested area. The plane was a total loss and Hill appeared to have
died on impact. The State Medical Examiners Office was notified and an
autopsy was requested. Next of kin was notified. The NTSB and FAA were
notified and they will be responding to Aniak to investigate.

I don't think so. But, I'd have to look thru logbooks to see.

PA12_Pilot is based out of Aniak. I'm betting he'll shed some light, though it sounds pretty straight forward.

Gump

marker60 wrote:A
short time later residents of Chuathbaluk reported hearing a plane stall
near the village, but its location was unknown.

?

I guess stalls can be notoriously loud when the impact happens.

News I saw reported a snow squall was present.

Zane wrote:

marker60 wrote:A
short time later residents of Chuathbaluk reported hearing a plane stall
near the village, but its location was unknown.

?

I guess stalls can be notoriously loud when the impact happens.

What i was thinking was the villagers maybe heard the airplane's engine quit (engine stall out) and not the airplane itself.....

Those hills around Aniak eat a lot of airplanes, and a lot of those airplanes are Inland C207's. Be interesting to see what Murph does with the company now.

Gump

Who is "Murph"?

GumpAir wrote:Those hills around Aniak eat a lot of airplanes, and a lot of those airplanes are Inland C207's. Be interesting to see what Murph does with the company now.

Gump

Mike Murphy. He is, was, co-owner of Inland Aviation with Steve Hill who died in this crash. He's also DO at Alaska Central Express.

Gump

Wasn't Stephen hill the owner of Inland at Aniak? I was there in 2009 doing some fire fighting support in a helicopter. We parked on the grass by the inland hangar and bought a shitload of fuel from them. If memory serves, his brother Henry flies out of sleetmute, met him a few times too for various fueling needs...sad day

Sorry just re-read the original, guess that was him...

Steve Hill was a partner in Inland Aviation, and the guy who actually made that place run. With him dead, I'm not sure who will have control of the company.

Gump

Mike Murphy, ex Aloha pilot?

GumpAir wrote:Mike Murphy. He is, was, co-owner of Inland Aviation with Steve Hill who died in this crash. He's also DO at Alaska Central Express.

Gump

I believe that 73U was Steve's last 207 in airworthy condition. There's a few more on the ramp there in Aniak missing a few parts, engines being the main thing. I haven't been back home for a visit since around May, so he might have gotten another one going after Ernie's accident up here at MCG. Sad day for sure...

I'd known Steve for over 40 years, since our high school days, and we've both been in the air taxi business up here for over 30 of those. Just goes to show that even the most experienced of us can pay the ultimate price for our aviation addiction. Went to a visitation for Steve here in Anchorage Tuesday afternoon, and talked to his brother, John. John seems to think that Steve's passing will be the end of Inland Aviation. It's going to leave a huge hole in that part of the Interior. I know I'm going to miss him - he was a great guy in addition to being a damned good pilot.

Inland Aviation is no longer in operation as of this week. A memorial will be held for Steve in Aniak at 1PM Saturday, December 10, at the Aniak HS, with a potluck to follow, and I heard there will be a gathering at the hangar afterwards, most likely involving libations. The weather doesn't look great, but I'm hoping to make it down for the memorial.

With the closing of Inland, Aniak Transportation Services is probably closed as well. If that is the case, there is no longer 100LL or Jet A available on the ramp in Aniak, however, Crowley does call-outs and delivers in-wing. Just a heads up to anyone flying through, it's usually my refueling point on flights out to the coast.