History of Flight
On July 17, 2015, about 1318 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 207A airplane, N62AK, sustained substantial damage following an in-flight collision with tree-covered terrain about 18 miles west of Juneau, Alaska. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries, and four passengers sustained serious injuries. The flight was operated as flight 202 by SeaPort Airlines, Inc., dba Wings of Alaska, as a 14 CFR Part 135 visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled commuter flight. Visual meteorological conditions were reported at the Juneau International Airport at the time of departure. A company flight plan was filed, and company flight-following procedures were in effect. Flight 202 departed Juneau Airport about 1308 for a scheduled 20-minute flight to Hoonah, Alaska.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 45, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and sea, multiengine land, and instrument ratings. She was issued a first-class airman medical certificate on April 9, 2015, with the limitation that she must wear corrective lenses. Company training records indicated she completed basic indoctrination on May 25, 2015, initial ground training on June 2, 2015, and Part 135 proficiency checks in the Cessna 207 on June 12, 2015. She had a total time of 840 flight hours. The base chief pilot noted she was good on systems but needed additional flight training and initial operating experience before he was comfortable signing her off.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane, a Cessna 207A, N62AK, was manufactured in 1984. It had logged a total time in service of 26,613.1 flight hours before the accident. The airplane was maintained under a 100-hour/annual inspection program, with the most recent 100-hour inspection of the airframe and engine on July 6, 2015. The engine was a Continental Motors IO-520-F 285-horsepower reciprocating engine, factory rebuilt on June 16, 2015, installed on July 14, 2015, and had accumulated about 8.2 hours of operation before the accident flight.
Meteorological Information
The area forecast issued at 1210 included an AIRMET for mountain obscuration due to clouds and precipitation, valid at the accident site at the accident time. The forecast mentioned scattered clouds at 1,200 ft msl, broken to overcast ceilings at 2,000 ft msl, with occasional broken ceiling at 1,200 ft msl, visibility 5 miles, and light rain. Isolated instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions were forecast. The 1253 METAR at Juneau reported wind 110° at 14 knots, visibility 7 statute miles in light rain and mist, few clouds at 200 ft, overcast at 3,500 ft. No record was found indicating the pilot used the company computer to review weather information before the flight.
Wreckage and Impact
On-scene examination revealed the airplane impacted a large spruce tree at an elevation of about 1,250 ft msl. The fuselage separated into two sections. The forward section (cockpit and engine) came to rest inverted about 50 ft forward of the initial impact point; the cockpit survivable space was severely compromised. The remaining section (main cabin, wings, and empennage) came to rest inverted just below the initial impact point. The wreckage path was on a magnetic heading of about 215° and oriented uphill. Both wings remained attached to the main fuselage. The left pilot's door separated; the right passenger door separated. The empennage exhibited tree impact damage. No preaccident anomalies with the airframe were noted that would have precluded normal operation.
Survival Aspects
All four passengers in the main cabin survived the accident. The cabin structure remained relatively intact with sufficient survivable space. The pilot in the cockpit sustained fatal injuries; the forward fuselage separated and traveled about 50 yards forward before impacting in an inverted position, severely compromising the cockpit survivable space.
Search and Rescue
About 1336, the US Coast Guard in Alaska received a 406-megahertz emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal assigned to the accident airplane. At 1421, after notification of an overdue airplane and reports of an ELT signal, search and rescue personnel from USCG Air Station Sitka began searching. About 1650, a USCG HH-60 helicopter located the wreckage. A rescue swimmer determined the pilot had died at the scene and four other occupants survived. The four survivors were hoisted and transported to Juneau.
Medical and Pathological Information
The State of Alaska Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy of the pilot; the cause of death was attributed to multiple blunt force injuries. FAA toxicology testing was negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol. Valsartan, a prescription medication for high blood pressure, was detected in urine and blood; the pilot reported its use on her last medical application.
Flight Recorders
The accident airplane was not equipped with, nor required to have, a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder.
Test and Research
The engine was removed and tested on a test stand. It started on the first attempt with no hesitations or anomalies. The engine was run for about 8 minutes through various power settings, including full power, with no anomalies noted. A fuel leak from a screw on the fuel-metering unit was likely fractured during the accident sequence.
Organizational and Management Information
At the time of the accident, SeaPort Airlines operated 21 airplanes, 5 based in Juneau, with about 80 pilots. The company's operational control policies were outlined in the General Operations Manual (GOM). A review of the GOM revealed no specific policies and procedures for initiation and conduct of flights, though the manual stated that operational control includes authority over initiating, conducting, or terminating flights. Dispatchers (flight coordinators) received on-the-job training; no formalized training program was documented. A Flight Risk Assessment form was part of the flight coordination process.