What happened
On a recreational flight departing from Ketchikan, a twin engine airplane was performing an approach toward Wrangel when it collided with a mountain. During the descent, the aircraft was operating at an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet. The impact occurred while the aircraft was navigating through difficult meteorological conditions.
Search efforts located the debris field several hours after the incident. There were no survivors among the six fatalities recorded at the crash site.
Findings
The investigation determined that the accident was a result of controlled flight into terrain. The pilot attempted to maintain visual flight rules despite encountering deteriorating weather. Several environmental and operational factors contributed to the tragedy, including:
- Presence of heavy fog
- Low cloud ceilings
- Erroneous in-flight decision making