Accident Details
On September 8, 2018, about 2353 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna U206 airplane, registration N8070Z, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain about 1.5 miles north-northeast of Willow Airport (UUO) in Willow, Alaska. The flight instructor and the private pilot receiving instruction sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, operating under visual flight rules for a local area instructional flight. Dark, night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Talkeetna Airport (TKA) about 2230.
Flight History
The private pilot receiving instruction stated that the purpose of the flight was to obtain required night training to fulfill Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 61.109 requirements. She had obtained her private pilot certificate the previous month but had not obtained night training, as provided for in FAR 61.110 exception for Alaska pilots. Her airmen certificate had the limitation of "night flying prohibited." She scheduled the night flight with her flight instructor, who had provided all her prior private pilot flight instruction. The accident flight was her first night flight.
The flight instructor stated that he had flown with the pilot many times and characterized her as an excellent student and pilot. He had flown to UUO at night on many occasions and reported providing a total of 2,200 hours of airplane single engine instruction and 305 hours of night instruction. His last night flight was 2 to 3 weeks before the accident.
Sequence of Events
The flight departed TKA at 2230 and proceeded to multiple airports within 60 miles. The pilot receiving instruction flew from the left seat; the flight instructor sat in the right seat. The pilot conducted two full-stop landings and takeoffs at Wasilla Airport (IYS) and then proceeded to UUO. She performed one full-stop landing on runway 31, and both agreed to perform another landing at UUO.
The pilot stated that after takeoff, while maintaining runway heading, she climbed the airplane to 1,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and commenced a right crosswind turn into a dark area with no visible horizon. She could not recall if she leveled off prior to turning or during the turn. The last event she remembered was the flight instructor exclaiming, "what is up with your attitude?"
The flight instructor stated that while the airplane was in the right crosswind turn, as he looked out the right window, he sensed something was wrong due to the unusual sound of the wind stream and propeller rpm. He realized the airplane was descending and that the pilot flying was disoriented. He took command of the flight controls and attempted to recover; however, the airplane was too low, and it impacted marsh-covered terrain right wing first in a nose-down attitude.
Post-Accident
Both pilots egressed the fragmented wreckage through a tear in the fuselage. The flight instructor located the pilot's iPhone in the marsh and called the Rescue Coordination Center and a family member. They were unable to reach survival gear due to the large wreckage field and their serious injuries. They were rescued about 0150 by the Air National Guard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage.
The pilot receiving instruction stated that during the flight, she could see a visible horizon for the first hour, but after an hour it became much darker. She remembered seeing the lights of Wasilla and noted it was much darker at UUO, with few lights outside the airport environment and no visible horizon. She did not recall referencing the attitude indicator during the flight. The flight instructor stated it was a clear, dark night and he did observe a visible horizon, except to the east of UUO where there were few lights. He could not see the attitude indicator from the right seat. The U.S. Naval Observatory lists sunset at 2045 and moonset at 2056 on September 8 in Willow.
The private pilot, also a co-owner of the airplane, reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.