What happened
On October 2, 2016, at approximately 11:57 AM AKDT, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registration N208SD, crashed into steep mountains located roughly 10 nautical miles northwest of Togiak Airport (PATG) in Alaska. The aircraft, operated by Hageland Aviation Services, Inc., was performing a scheduled commuter flight under visual flight rules (VFR) from Quinhagak Airport to Togiak.
The flight departed Quinhagak at about 11:33 AM. During the transit, the aircraft struck mountainous terrain, leading to the total destruction of the plane. The accident resulted in three fatalities, including the two commercial pilots and one passenger.
While weather observations at the nearby Togiak Airport indicated visual meteorological conditions, a separate crew from the same company, which had departed shortly after the ill-fated flight, noted different conditions along the flight path. This second crew reported encountering unexpected fog, shifting cloud layers, and the possibility of rain along the route used by the first aircraft.
Findings
Investigations into the event noted that although the primary weather station reported clear enough conditions for VFR, the presence of unexpected fog and changing cloud cover was observed by other aircraft operating in the same area during the same period.