Incident Overview
An air taxi flight operating over an extensive field of glaciers ended when the aircraft collided with the glacier surface. The flight had commenced as planned, with the pilot navigating over glacial terrain. Passengers on board described the weather conditions at the time as a gray, overcast sky with snow covering the ground below and surrounding mountains. They estimated the cruise altitude was between 100 and 500 feet above the glacier.
Sequence of Events
During the flight, the aircraft encountered a fog bank directly ahead in the direction of travel. In response, the pilot decided to turn around to avoid the fog. While executing the turn, the airplane began to descend and subsequently struck the glacier. The impact resulted in damage to the aircraft.
Postaccident Inspection
Following the accident, a thorough inspection of the airplane was conducted. The examination revealed no evidence of any preexisting mechanical anomaly or malfunction. The airframe, engine, and control systems were all found to be in working condition prior to the collision. This suggests that the accident was not precipitated by a technical failure.