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| Date: | Wednesday 16 April 2003 |
| Time: | 09:05 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32-300 |
| Owner/operator: | Servant Air Inc |
| Registration: | N2863T |
| MSN: | 32-7240095 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1972 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7610 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540K-1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Kotzebue, Alaska -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Kotzebue-Ralph Wien Memorial Airport, AK (OTZ/PAOT) |
| Noorvik-Curtis Memorial Airport, AK (ORV/PFNO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The solo commercial pilot reported he was transporting cargo on a cross-country flight in VFR conditions. The flight progressed over a large, featureless, snow-covered lagoon, and according to the pilot, flat light conditions made it difficult to discern any topographical features of the terrain. The pilot didn't realize that the airplane had entered a descent. The airplane descended and ultimately struck the snow-covered lagoon, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The reported weather conditions included a 1,200 foot overcast ceiling and visibility of 9 statute miles.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain during cruise flight. Factors associated with the accident were flat light conditions, and snow-covered terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ANC03LA044
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Oct-2022 15:19 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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