Accident Details
On February 14, at approximately 1102 Alaska standard time, a CASA 212 twin-engine airplane, registration N440RA, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain about one-half mile west of the Ralph Wien Memorial Airport in Kotzebue, Alaska. The aircraft was being operated by Arctic Transportation Services of Anchorage, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) cargo flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135. The airline transport pilot and co-pilot were not injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the airport, and the flight crew had obtained a special VFR clearance.
Flight Crew Statements
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on February 17, the pilot stated that he flew a normal VFR left-hand traffic pattern. He reported that the area and runway were covered with snow, but when he turned final he could see the airport beacon and associated buildings. As he continued the approach, the co-pilot called an altitude of 200 feet, and at that moment the wind appeared to shift abruptly. The pilot lost sight of the airport and asked the co-pilot if he could see it. When the co-pilot said no and reported their altitude as 50 feet above ground level, the pilot initiated a go-around, but the airplane impacted terrain short of the runway. The pilot reported no known mechanical problems with the airplane or its instruments prior to the accident, and stated that he and the co-pilot were instrument current and the airplane was properly certified for instrument flight. The Director of Operations for the operator stated that the airplane sustained structural damage to the fuselage near the left main landing gear.
Weather Conditions
An FAA flight service specialist at the airport reported that visibility had been about 1 1/4 miles but dropped to 1/4 mile rapidly during the time of the approach. Official weather observations taken by the weather observer at Kotzebue showed that at 59 minutes before the hour, visibility was 1 mile in light snow and blowing snow, with wind from 160 degrees at 28 knots gusting to 32. At 1 minute after the hour, visibility was reported as 1/4 mile in light snow and blowing snow, wind from 160 degrees at 33 knots gusting to 36. At 5 minutes past the hour, visibility remained at 1/4 mile in light snow and blowing snow, and wind was reported as 170 degrees at 35 knots with gusts to 42.