History of Flight
On April 14, 2015, at approximately 1330 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 180 airplane, registration N9247C, is presumed to have sustained substantial damage after impacting ocean waters near the eastern shoreline of Culross Island, about 18 miles east of Whittier, Alaska. The aircraft was operating as an instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed along the route, and the airplane was on an IFR flight plan. The flight departed Wasilla Airport, Wasilla, Alaska, around 1205 en route to Valdez Airport, Valdez, Alaska.
The aircraft was equipped with a Spidertracks flight tracking system that transmitted data every 2 minutes via Iridium satellites. The last known location reported an altitude of 69 feet, a speed of 80 knots, and a heading of about 270 degrees.
An alert notice was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Kenai Flight Service Station at 1336. A search was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Air National Guard, and a Good Samaritan vessel. On April 15, around 1700, searchers located the remains of the pilot along the eastern shoreline of Culross Island, along with the left main landing gear strut and tire. The rest of the airplane has not been located and is presumed to have sunk in Prince William Sound.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 53, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating and an instrument rating. His most recent third-class medical certificate was issued on August 6, 2013, with a limitation requiring corrective lenses for distant vision and glasses for near vision. According to an FAA Form 8710-1 found at his home, he had accumulated about 1,605 total flight hours as of July 11, 2014.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1955 Cessna 180 equipped with a Continental Motors O-470 series engine. It was certified and current for IFR flight but not certified for flight into known icing. The color scheme was primarily white with blue and gold accent lines, white wings, and a blue propeller spinner. The last annual inspection was completed on August 15, 2014, at 8,281.5 total hours in service.
A mechanic reported that the pilot had mentioned the carburetor heat control felt 'mushy.' The mechanic advised inspecting the control arm on the air box for damage. On the morning of the accident, the mechanic texted the pilot to ask if he had checked the control, to which the pilot replied he had not but would do so that day.
Meteorological Information
The forecast for the Portage Glacier area called for marginal visual flight rules conditions due to low ceilings and occasional IFR conditions from low ceilings and visibility in snow showers. Moderate icing was forecast between 4,000 feet and 10,000 feet above ground level, with the freezing level around 1,000 feet. The closest weather reporting station, Portage Glacier ASOS, reported at 1253: wind from 120° at 11 knots gusting 26 knots, vertical visibility 500 feet, visibility 1/4 statute miles, temperature 32°F, dew point 28°F, altimeter 29.54 inHg.
Communications
At about 1315, the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) cleared the airplane for the LDA/DME H instrument approach to Valdez Airport. Shortly after beginning a descent from 10,000 feet mean sea level (msl) to 8,000 feet msl, the pilot advised the controller of an engine problem. At 1319, the pilot reported engine trouble, but the transmission was blocked by other traffic. At 1321, he declared an emergency, stating: 'Four seven charlie is declaring an emergency I have a problem with my engine I think I've been through the light stuff (unintelligible) descending for PEPPI for four thousand.' The controller asked about souls on board and engine status; the pilot responded he had windmilling power and was descending for PEPPI at 4,000 feet. The pilot intended to descend below the cloud deck and land on a beach. At 1323, the controller lost radar contact, and no further communications were received from N9247C.
Another aircraft, Empire 922, relayed that the accident airplane reported being at 5,500 feet, still in clouds with the propeller windmilling. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was broadcast on 121.5 MHz for about 20 seconds starting at 1330.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The only recovered wreckage was the left main landing gear strut and tire. The strut had separated with the gear box attached, exhibiting sharp angular fractures consistent with impact forces rather than tidal activity or underwater object contact. Corrosion from saltwater exposure was present.
Medical and Pathological Information
Toxicology tests conducted by the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute were negative for alcohol and drugs. A postmortem examination by the Alaska State Medical Examiners Office attributed the cause of death to drowning, with contributing factors of hypothermia and blunt force head injury.
Survival Aspects
The search initially focused east of Perry Island but was redirected to east of Culross Island after Spidertracks data provided the last known coordinates. Water temperature in Prince William Sound was 42°F with 1- to 4-foot seas. The pilot was not wearing a life jacket or personal flotation device.
A new Ameri-King Corporation AK-451 406 MHz ELT was installed on February 4, 2015. It began broadcasting shortly after the last communication, but only for about 20 seconds on 121.5 MHz; no 406 MHz signal was received by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center. ELTs are not certified for operation during or after submersion.