Accident
On the accident leg of a round-robin cargo flight, the pilot departed Hoonah, Alaska, en route to Elfin Cove. The flight originated and ended at sea level and was intended to traverse a mountain pass, where minimum obstruction clearance was estimated at 500 feet above mean sea level. The airplane collided with steeply rising terrain at the 1,250-foot level, approximately one mile south of the proposed flight path. A post-impact fire partially consumed the airplane.
Location and Conditions
The accident occurred in the mountains of southeast Alaska. The operator initiated a helicopter search within two hours of the accident time. The helicopter pilot and passenger reported that the area where the airplane was eventually located was obscured by low clouds, and that many other valleys and mountainsides were also covered. Low clouds persisted in the area of the crash site for the following two days.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was the pilot's decision to continue visual flight rules (VFR) flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain adequate clearance from rising terrain. Factors associated with the accident were the rising terrain and clouds.