Cessna 207 N91099

Summary

On 14 August 2011 at about 03:40 local time, a Cessna 207 registered N91099, operated by Inland Aviation Services, was involved in an accident near McGrath, Alaska, United States. 6 people were on board and 2 died, 4 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 August 2011 at 03:40

Classification

Accident

Location

McGrath, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

63.1019, -156.9903

Aircraft

Cessna 207

Registration

N91099

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Inland Aviation Services

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

McGrath → Anvik

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC11FA077

2 people died.

The pilot's decision to continue visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot departed with five passengers on an on-demand air taxi flight between two remote Alaskan villages separated by mountainous terrain. When the airplane did not reach its destination, the operator reported the airplane overdue. After an extensive search, the airplane's wreckage was discovered in an area of steep, tree-covered terrain, about 1,720 feet msl, along the pilot's anticipated flight path. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules, but weather conditions in the area were reported as low ceilings and reduced visibility due to rain, fog, and mist. There is no record that the pilot obtained a weather briefing before departing. According to a passenger who was seated in the front, right seat, next to the pilot, about 20 minutes after departure, as the flight progressed into mountainous terrain, low clouds, rain and fog restricted the visibility. At one point, the pilot told the passenger, in part: "This is getting pretty bad." The pilot then descended and flew the airplane very close to the ground, then climbed the airplane, and then descended again. Moments later, the airplane entered "whiteout conditions," according to the passenger. The next thing the passenger recalled was looking out the front windscreen and, just before impact, seeing the mountainside suddenly appear out of the fog. A postaccident examination did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction. A weather study identified instrument meteorological conditions in the area at the time of the accident. Given the lack of mechanical deficiencies with the airplane and the passenger's account of the accident, it is likely that the pilot flew into instrument meteorological conditions while en route to his destination, and subsequently collided with mountainous terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.