Piper PA22-150 N7402D

Summary

On 5 August 2019 at about 00:27 local time, a Piper PA22-150 registered N7402D was involved in an accident near Girdwood, Alaska, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 August 2019 at 00:27

Classification

Accident

Location

Girdwood, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.0369, -149.0453

Aircraft

Piper PA22-150

Registration

N7402D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Girdwood → Girdwood

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC19FA042

4 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain due to his impairment from alcohol consumption.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot was conducting a local flight with three passengers over an area that comprised remote, mountainous terrain. One witness saw the airplane performing aggressive maneuvers earlier in the flight, and observed the airplane approached a ridge, its nose pitched up and the airplane entered a steep climb before disappearing from view. Multiple witnesses saw the airplane flying parallel to a mountain ridge before it entered a turn and began a descent. The airplane then disappeared from view followed by a plume of black smoke. None of the witnesses reported hearing any unusual sounds from the accident airplane before the accident. Toxicological testing of the pilot detected 0.226 gm/dl ethanol in the femoral blood, which is greater than 5.5 times the regulatory limit for pilots. The concentration of ethanol in the pilot's vitreous fluid compared to femoral blood was consistent with the recent ingestion of alcohol. It is likely that at these levels the pilot experienced not only degradation of judgment, but mood and behavioral changes, altered perception of the environment, and deficits in coordination, psychomotor skills, and attention. Although the airplane was not recovered from the accident site and could not be examined, the circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering due to the impairing effects of his recent alcohol consumption.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.