Accident Overview
On July 20, 2024, about 1421 Alaska daylight time, a Beech A35 airplane, N410B, was destroyed in an accident near Gustavus, Alaska. The pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Flight Path and ADS-B Data
According to a friend of the occupants, the pilot and two passengers departed Juneau International Airport (PAJN), Juneau, Alaska, destined for Yakutat Airport (PAYA), Yakutat, Alaska. The friend alerted search and rescue personnel about 1713, reporting the airplane was two hours overdue. An FAA alert notice was issued at 1757, and search and rescue crews were dispatched to the last known point on the route; poor weather hampered the search.
ADS-B data indicated the airplane departed Juneau about 1344 and initially headed northwest for about 72 miles. The track then changed to a southwesterly heading and continued for another 30 miles through the mountainous terrain of Glacier Bay National Park. About 1421, with a heading of 245°, an altitude of 10,875 ft msl, and groundspeed of 141 kts, the flight track abruptly ended on the eastern side of East Crillon mountain. The terrain elevation above the last data point was about 11,220 ft msl. The downsloping terrain consisted of expansive vertical rock, snow-covered terrain, and hanging glaciers with widespread glacial crevasses below.
Weather Conditions
The closest weather reporting station, in Gustavus, about 54 miles southeast of the accident site, at 1356 reported an overcast ceiling at 600 ft agl variable to 1,100 ft agl, with 10 miles visibility. A preliminary NTSB weather study showed Aviation Weather Center Graphical Forecasts for Aviation data indicating cloud bases as low as 2,200 ft msl and tops no lower than 12,000 ft msl in the accident region, with surface visibilities less than 0.25 statute miles. The High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model suggested clouds from 3,000 ft msl to 12,500 ft msl. The National Weather Service had issued an AIRMET for mountain obscuration in the accident region.
Global Data Assimilation System model soundings analyzed by the RAwinsonde OBservation program noted scattered clouds about 2,800 ft, with broken to overcast cloud layers above to about 13,000 ft around the accident time. The freezing level was at 9,900 ft, with potential for light rime icing between about 10,000 and 12,000 ft. An AIRMET advisory SIERRA for "mountains occasionally obscured by clouds/precipitation" was valid for the accident site at the time. An Area Forecast for the region included the AIRMET information and forecast few clouds at 300 ft, scattered at 1,200 ft, ceiling broken at 3,500 ft with tops to 12,000 ft, and occasional ceiling broken at 1,200 ft with light rain showers. No significant turbulence or icing was forecast.
Search and Recovery Efforts
The United States Coast Guard, Alaska Air National Guard, and Civil Air Patrol conducted extensive search efforts around East Crillon mountain. Search personnel found what was believed to be an initial impact site, marked by a V-shaped upslope terrain disturbance near the last ADS-B data point. The site was in steep, vertical snow- and ice-covered terrain with recent avalanche activity that would have carried wreckage downslope. The site was deemed inaccessible due to high elevation, avalanche danger, and inclement weather.
On August 5, an aerial search revealed portions of highly fragmented wreckage on the eastern side of East Crillon mountain at about 6,260 ft msl, more than 4,500 ft below the suspected impact site, spread over rough, steep, crevasse-covered glaciated terrain. The wreckage was identified as belonging to the accident airplane by comparing photos of the distinctive paint scheme.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
A review of the pilot's flight logs indicated the last recorded actual or simulated instrument flight time occurred more than five years before the accident, with no additional instrument time logged after that date. Maintenance records showed the airplane had not undergone the inspections required for instrument flight under Federal Aviation Regulations. There was no evidence the pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing from an official source.