ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36233
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| Date: | Saturday 1 February 1997 |
| Time: | 14:27 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-22 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N7235D |
| MSN: | 22-5061 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1957 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3780 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Skwentna, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Port Alsworth, AK |
| Anchorage, AK (MRI) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On February 1, 1997, about 1427 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-22 airplane, N7235D, was destroyed when it collided with terrain about 45 miles northwest of Skwentna, Alaska. The private certificated pilot and two family members/passengers aboard were fatally injured. The personal, 14 CFR Part 91, cross country flight departed Port Alsworth, Alaska, about 1200, en route to Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed.
The noninstrument-rated private pilot and two passengers were on a cross country flight on top of an overcast at 10,000 feet msl when the pilot radioed FAA air traffic controllers for assistance. The pilot told controllers he thought he was a few miles from Anchorage, Alaska, his intended destination, but he was actually about 124 miles northwest of Anchorage. The pilot was asked if he could turn towards and cross a nearby mountain range to reach VFR conditions. He indicated he did not have enough fuel left, and that he was presently flying through the tops of the overcast. During his communications with the controllers, the pilot noted a marked disparity between his wet compass and his gyro driven heading indicator; he also said his only electronic navigation instrument aboard, a loran, was not reliable. Radio contact was lost with the pilot, and soon thereafter, an ELT was heard. The airplane was discovered crashed in a near vertical position on a glacier. Postaccident inspection disclosed no mechanical anomalies with the airplane and a functional loran. About five to six gallons of fuel was remaining in the left wing fuel tank.
Probable Cause: The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and subsequent failure to maintain control of the airplane. Factors associated with the accident are the pilot's inadequate weather evaluation, his becoming lost/disoriented, and spatial disorientation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001208X07368
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:22 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 18-Oct-2022 18:08 | Captain Adam | Updated [Operator, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
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