Collision Details
While cruising parallel to the Seward-Anchorage highway at an altitude of 1,000 feet, a twin-engine airplane collided with a Kenai Civil Air Patrol Beechcraft A-45 Mentor, registered as N1406Z. The Mentor was engaged in a search and rescue (SAR) mission following the disappearance of a Cessna 170. The Mentor was carrying two pilots at the time of the collision.
Aftermath
Following the collision, both aircraft dove into the ground and crashed. All four occupants—the two pilots in the Mentor and the two occupants of the twin-engine airplane—were killed.
Investigation
The official probable cause was determined to be a collision with other aircraft in normal cruise. Contributing factors reported include: failed to see and avoid other aircraft, pilot of other aircraft, not under radar contact, and no control.