What happened
During a transport mission to move hunters back to Seward, an aircraft departed from a beach landing site where it had stopped to collect passengers. This flight was part of a two-plane operation; the second aircraft, a Cessna 206, departed approximately five minutes after the accident aircraft. According to witnesses aboard the second plane, the aircraft in question vanished from view after entering heavy weather conditions.
At the time of the flight, the weather at the bay and along the intended route toward Seward was characterized by fog, with visibility limited to roughly one mile and cloud ceilings ranging between 400 and 600 feet. Following the disappearance, search efforts located the wreckage in mountainous terrain, situated six miles west of the initial departure point at an elevation of 1,000 feet. The accident resulted in two fatalities.
Findings
- The aircraft encountered low visibility and low cloud ceilings during the flight.
- The wreckage was found in high-elevation, mountainous terrain.