The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, and failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from mountainous/hilly terrain.
— NTSB Determination
The pilot was on a local flight and was returning to Lake Hood Seaplane Base. He stated that as he approached a local pass (named Powerline Pass), the airplane encountered a downdraft. He was unable to stop the descent and the airplane crashed into the terrain on the east side of the pass. Local area winds in the valley, 12 miles west of the accident site, were from the north at 5 knots. The pilot could not estimate the winds in the pass.
The pilot was on a local flight and was returning to Lake Hood Seaplane Base. He stated that as he approached a local pass (named Powerline Pass), the airplane encountered a downdraft. He was unable to stop the descent and the airplane crashed into the terrain on the east side of the pass. Local area winds in the…
The accident on 1995-10-25 involved a Piper PA-18-150, registration N2399S, operated by Geoff Stearn, at Anchorage, AK.
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, and failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from mountainous/hilly terrain.
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