Accident Details
On June 16, 2023, at about 1135 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 180H airplane, registration N91361, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shaktoolik, Alaska. The pilot and a passenger sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was operated by Golden Eagle Outfitters, Inc. as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on-demand charter flight supporting a remote bear hunting excursion.
The flight involved two hunting guides waiting on a remote off-airport mountain ridgeline airstrip near their camp. The pilot had earlier departed with two hunters/clients, informing the guides he would return to pick them up. Upon return, the pilot boarded one guide and some gear, intending to come back for the other guide and remaining gear.
A witness, the remaining guide, reported that winds were gusting and changing frequently, and had increased during the hour the pilot was away. He had previously flown with the pilot many times and observed numerous takeoffs and landings from the airstrip.
The airstrip was approximately 750 feet long, situated atop a down-sloping, rock- and grass-covered ridgeline. Landings were normally made uphill on a heading of about 060°, with departures in the opposite direction downhill on a heading of about 240°. During previous departures, the airplane would dip below the airstrip off the departure end, out of sight, then climb back into view.
The witness watched the initial portion of the downhill takeoff roll and saw nothing abnormal, then turned away. When he did not hear engine noise during climbout or see the airplane climbing, he ran to the ridgeline edge and saw the airplane had impacted the tundra about 300 feet below the airstrip. He sent an SOS alert via his personal GPS tracker and hiked down to check for survivors.
Aircraft and Weight Information
According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook, the Cessna 180's maximum takeoff gross weight is 2,800 pounds, and the airplane's empty weight was listed as 1,969 pounds. Based on the weight of occupants, cargo, and fuel, the estimated gross weight at takeoff was 2,578 pounds, about 222 pounds below the maximum.
Weather Conditions
The pilot had departed from and intended to return to Unalakleet Airport (PAUN), 42 miles southwest of the accident site at an elevation of 27 feet. The closest official weather station was Shaktoolik Airport (PFSH), about 31 miles west-southwest at 24 feet elevation. Observations from PFSH around the accident time indicated visual meteorological conditions with a northerly wind between 15 and 20 knots, while PAUN reported southwesterly winds of 5 to 10 knots and visual conditions. Data from the National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center experimental website indicated a 10- to 15-knot northeast wind over the accident site. The winds and temperature aloft forecast valid for the closest point was 020° at 13 knots at 3,000 feet.
The accident pilot did not request weather information from Alaskan Flight Services; it is unknown what weather information he had. A pilot who responded to the accident site about 45 minutes later described winds as unusual that day: variable, gusting 10 to 12 knots from the north, then calm, then gusting 5 knots from the south, repeating the pattern.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the airstrip revealed a small cluster of trees about two-thirds of the distance from the start, on the left side and downslope. One 12-foot tree, about 4 inches in diameter, was fractured about 4 feet from its base, and the separated portion displayed fragments of red paint matching the accident airplane's color.
The wreckage impacted tundra in a steep, nose-down, wings-level attitude about 1,200 feet from the broken tree. The wings were displaced by impact; the right wing leading edge was uniformly crushed aft along its span, with upper and lower wing skins crushed aft in compression. Flight control continuity was established through several breaks, all consistent with impact and overstress failures. The engine separated from the airframe and came to rest inverted behind the left wing. The propeller hub was fractured, and blades were separated.
The left horizontal stabilizer displayed a concave dent perpendicular to the leading edge about 1 foot outboard of the root, with tree sap and embedded fibers observed. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator did not exhibit leading edge impact signatures, and the elevator remained attached.
The engine exhibited heavy impact damage to the nose and sump, but internal components were intact with normal operating signatures. The crankshaft flange was impact fractured and would not rotate by hand until the case was opened. The right magneto produced spark when tested; the left magneto would not rotate due to impact damage and was disassembled.
A Garmin Aera 760 portable GPS unit was removed and sent for data download. The device's memory chip was dislodged due to damage, and while the chip data was downloaded, the accident flight was not captured.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Alaska State Medical Examiner determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, with the manner of death classified as accident. Toxicology testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory found no drugs of abuse.