What happened
During a flight characterized by highly unstable weather, the pilot initially received a briefing suggesting that Visual Flight Rules (VFR) were not advisable. However, as meteorological conditions improved, the decision was made to continue the mission. During the cruise phase of the flight, the aircraft encountered snow showers, prompting the pilot to descend to an altitude of 500 feet above ground level to maintain visual contact with the terrain.
While positioned over a ridge located just west of the Kustatan River, the aircraft suddenly entered a snow squall, resulting in total whiteout conditions. In an attempt to recover, the pilot initiated a 180-degree turn; however, the aircraft type impacted the snow-covered ground during this maneuver. The accident resulted in one fatality, involving an infant passenger, while other occupants survived the impact. Search efforts located the survivors approximately 21 hours after the event. Investigators noted that the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) was set to the 'off' position, which prevented the transmission of a distress signal to nearby aircraft.
Findings
Official investigations into the accident identified several contributing environmental and operational factors. The terrain was heavily covered in snow at the time of impact. The primary weather-related factors included the presence of snow and the sudden onset of whiteout conditions. Ultimately, the investigation concluded that the crash was caused by the pilot flying into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) while operating under VFR.