Flight Details
Munz Northern flight 601 departed Nome, Alaska, at 1330 bst. According to the FAA specialist on duty at the Nome flight service station, the pilot requested only the Ambler weather at 0030 gmt. The flight continued north toward Ambler.
Passenger Account
The sole surviving passenger reported that as the flight continued north, she could only see straight down and was nervous because the ground appeared so close. She also stated that the aircraft's propellers changed sound, which she related to the sound they made earlier in the flight when the aircraft climbed to clear a mountain. She added that they were in whiteout conditions prior to impact and that there were no mechanical irregularities she was aware of. The pilot and another passenger were killed.
Weather Conditions
The passenger described whiteout conditions before the accident. The official findings note that the pilot did not obtain a weather forecast, and that snow and whiteout conditions were present. The aircraft encountered these conditions during cruise flight.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause identifies two occurrences: first, an in-flight encounter with weather during cruise, with findings that the pilot-in-command did not obtain a weather forecast, flew into whiteout and snow conditions, and inadvertently conducted VFR flight into IMC, which he continued. Second, an in-flight collision with terrain/water during climb, with a finding of high terrain. The probable cause is thus VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) by the pilot, including failure to obtain a weather forecast, encountering whiteout and snow, and continued VFR flight into IMC, resulting in collision with high terrain.