History of Flight
On March 4, 2013, about 1117 Alaska standard time, a Cessna 182B airplane, N2343G, sustained substantial damage after colliding with mountainous, snow-covered terrain about 65 miles southeast of Nikolai, Alaska. The pilot operated the airplane as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The certificated commercial pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Merrill Field Airport, Anchorage, Alaska, at approximately 1006, bound for Takotna, Alaska, via Rainy Pass.
According to a family friend of the pilot, the flight was scheduled to depart at 0900, fly via Rainy Pass to Takotna, drop off two passengers, and return to Merrill Field to transport two more passengers later that day. The group intended to volunteer for the Iditarod sled dog race. The pilot felt rushed due to the late start and hoped to complete the round trip without a fuel stop in McGrath.
When the airplane did not return, a family member notified the Federal Aviation Administration, which issued an alert notice (ALNOT) at 1608. Personnel from the 11th Air Force's Rescue Coordination Center initiated a search. On the morning of March 5, an Air National Guard HH-60G helicopter located the wreckage in steep mountainous terrain near Rainy Pass at the end of a box canyon and confirmed the fatalities.
Rainy Pass is a narrow mountain pass commonly used by VFR pilots to transit from the Anchorage area through the Alaska Range to the Kuskokwim River drainage. The typical route follows a path to Puntilla Lake, then northwest along Ptarmigan Pass to Pass Creek, then up to the summit of Rainy Pass, southwest along Pass Fork to Dalzell Creek, north along Dalzell Creek to the Tatina River, then west to Rohn. The accident box canyon intersected Rainy Pass about 1 mile northwest of the summit.
A pilot who departed Merrill Field at approximately 0951 with a planned stop in Puntilla before continuing through Rainy Pass reported that upon entering the pass, he encountered flat light and windy conditions. He could not discern the ground except for occasional dog mushers and turned around due to weather. He also noted that the accident pilot had become disoriented while flying a helicopter through Rainy Pass the previous year and took the wrong route.
Another pilot flying through Rainy Pass that morning reported ceilings of 4,400 feet, severe turbulence, and flat light conditions.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 59, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane multi-engine land, airplane single-engine land, rotorcraft, and instrument ratings. He also held a certified flight instructor certificate with airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and rotorcraft-helicopter ratings. His most recent second-class medical certificate was issued on October 13, 2012, with limitations requiring corrective lenses for distant and near vision. According to a report from his employer, his total aeronautical experience was about 1,680 flight hours, with about 550 hours in single-engine airplanes. In the 90 and 30 days before the accident, he flew 20 and 15 flight hours, respectively.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1959 Cessna 182B. At the time of the accident, total time in service was approximately 3,730.2 flight hours. Maintenance records showed the most recent annual inspection of airframe and engine was on August 21, 2012, about 6.4 flight hours before the accident. The airplane was equipped with a Continental Motors O-470-L engine rated at 230 horsepower. The engine was overhauled about 1,420.2 hours before the accident.
Meteorological Information
The area weather forecast valid through 1800 on the accident day included scattered clouds at 2,000 feet, broken to scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, broken clouds at 11,000 feet, with cloud tops at 30,000 feet. The outlook for Rainy Pass through 2400 was VFR. The closest reporting station, Puntilla Lake (about 18 miles northwest of the accident site), reported at 0902: wind calm, visibility 25 statute miles, overcast at 5,000 feet, temperature 23°F, dew point 21°F, altimeter 30.35 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
An NTSB investigator-in-charge and a Cessna representative reached the accident site on March 11. The examination revealed the airplane impacted in a near-vertical attitude on a rock- and snow-covered 33-degree slope near the bottom of a box canyon at an elevation of about 4,386 feet mean sea level. The nose was on approximately a 35-degree magnetic heading, downhill. All major components were at the main wreckage site. The cockpit area was extensively damaged; the engine and firewall displaced upward and aft, and the instrument panel displaced upward almost to the top of the windscreen. The throttle and mixture controls were in the full-forward position, the propeller control near full forward, carburetor heat off, and ignition switch in the "both" position. The aft fuselage separated at the upper production joint near the forward end of the rear windows. The left door separated with crushing damage. The empennage was intact with relatively minor impact damage. The left wing was severed, inverted, and underneath the main wreckage with spanwise upward bending; flight controls remained attached. The right wing remained attached at the forward attach point; the aft wing spar separated about 4 inches outboard of the rear attach point, with extensive spanwise leading-edge aft crushing from mid-span outboard. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators, and rudder remained attached and were relatively undamaged. The cowling was crushed upward and aft. The engine had impact damage to the front and underside. Propeller bolts remained attached, but the crankshaft fractured aft of the flange. Both propeller blades remained attached, exhibiting extensive leading-edge gouges, torsional "S" twisting, and chordwise scratching; both tips separated. Both flaps were in the up position, and the flap handle was up and locked. Due to impact damage, flight controls could not be moved, but cable continuity was established to the cockpit. No evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies was found.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination conducted on March 6, 2013, under the authority of the Alaska State Medical Examiner attributed the pilot's cause of death to blunt force injuries. The FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute performed toxicology examinations on May 7, 2013, which were negative for alcohol and drugs.
Tests and Research
The pilot was using a Garmin GPSMAP 296 portable GPS receiver capable of storing route data. The unit was sent to the NTSB's Vehicle Recorders Division. An NTSB electrical engineer extracted GPS data including time, latitude, longitude, and GPS altitude; groundspeed and course were derived. A flight track map overlay and tabular data are available in the public docket. On October 24, 2013, an engine examination by Continental Motors under NTSB supervision found no anomalies, contamination, or evidence of malfunction in any engine accessories; cylinders, pistons, valve train, crankshaft, and other internal components were without anomaly or malfunction.