What happened
On July 26, 2001, a Cessna A185F, registration N3800Q, departed from Yakutat, Alaska, to retrieve two mountain climbers from the Kennedy Glacier in the Yukon Territory. The climbers had been stranded at a high elevation due to bad weather and were running low on essential supplies. Upon arriving at the initial base camp, the pilot located the climbers at a higher altitude of 12,000 feet on the Cathedral Glacier.
After loading the passengers and equipment, the pilot began a takeoff run at approximately 1815 Pacific daylight time. The takeoff path initially followed a steep downward slope of 10 to 15 degrees. During the acceleration, the aircraft's skis encountered several small, snow-covered depressions caused by hidden crevasses. These undulations caused the aircraft to skip and veer slightly to the left. The aircraft eventually struck the edge of an open crevasse and a large snowdrift, causing the propeller and skis to detach. The aircraft then nosed over and fell approximately 80 feet into a crevasse, coming to rest at 11,500 feet.
Following the aircraft's failure to return, a search was launched. The wreckage was located the next day by Canadian and American search aircraft. While the two climbers were successfully medevaced with serious injuries, the pilot sustained a fatal head injury.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's mechanical state, the environmental conditions, and the pilot's flight profile. The Cessna A185F was found to be properly maintained and equipped, including a turbocharged engine. However, the flight manual supplement for the turbocharger lacked specific takeoff performance data for high altitudes.
The investigation also looked into the pilot's safety equipment usage. While the pilot was highly experienced with over 14,000 flight hours, it was noted that only the lap belt was fastened; the shoulder harness was not attached. The investigation could not confirm the exact state of the harness at the moment of impact.