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| Date: | Thursday 14 May 2020 |
| Time: | 22:00 |
| Type: |  Cessna A185F Skywagon |
| Owner/operator: | Webster's Flying Service LLC |
| Registration: | N5454E |
| MSN: | 18503974 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 15202 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental IO-520 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Nuiqsut, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Nuiqsut, AK |
| Nuiqsut, AK | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On May 14, 2020, about 2200 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna A185F, N5454E sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident about 72 miles northwest of Nuiqsut, Alaska. The pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on-demand passenger flight.
The pilot was conducting a commercial flight in his wheel/ski-equipped airplane with one passenger onboard in support of an arctic research project. He had overflown a potential landing site on a snow-and-ice-covered lake at a low altitude, and the area was determined to be unsuitable for landing. According to the passenger, after overflying the area the pilot initiated a left turn, toward the shoreline to return to their destination and subsequently impacted the ground.
GPS data from the accident flight revealed that the airplane flew along the north shore of the lake at a GPS altitude of about 136 ft variable to 232 ft before initiating a left turn and descending until it impacted terrain.
The passenger stated that the pilot had not voiced any concerns before the accident with regard to any preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation and the plane sounded “good” during the accident flight.
While the passenger reported a cabin and potential vegetation and terrain features visible in the left turn just before impact, it is likely that cloud conditions and snow-covered terrain present in the area resulted in flat light conditions, which would have hindered the pilot's ability to perceive terrain features and closure rates.
Probable Cause: The pilot's controlled flight into flat snow-covered terrain in weather conditions that were conducive to flat light conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ANC20LA046
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101276
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N5454E
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-May-2020 04:08 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 16-May-2020 04:18 | Geno | Updated [Location, Source, ] |
| 16-May-2020 08:59 | RobertMB | Updated [Total occupants, Source, ] |
| 02-Mar-2021 19:46 | harro | Updated [Nature, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 01-Jul-2022 13:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 01-Jul-2022 13:32 | harro | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 23-Dec-2024 22:11 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
| 23-Dec-2024 22:12 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo, ] |
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