Incident Overview
A search and rescue flight was dispatched from Barrow to an aircraft accident site adjacent to Nuiqsut Airport. According to the pilot, upon arriving at Nuiqsut at 300 ft above ground level (AGL), the visibility was 2-3 miles. The crew lined up with snow machines for a visual approach to the site, and the co-pilot disengaged the autopilot for the descent.
Altitude Calls and Impacts
The pilot-in-command (PIC) called out altitudes of 200, 100, and 50 ft. At the 50 ft call-out, the aircraft impacted terrain, and both pilots pulled up on the collective. Right after the PIC said "We're at 50 feet," the aircraft again struck the ground. The PIC was giving altitude readouts from the radar altimeter.
Terrain and Weather
The aircraft first impacted on the edge of a 50 ft gully, having approached over that gully. Based on weather reports from Oliktok, Deadhorse, and Umiat, the Nuiqsut Airport was engulfed in fog.