8 fatalities

1975-09-12: De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver (N64392) — Ketchum Air Service — Kijik Lake, United States of America

Kijik Lake, United States of AmericaFlight

On September 12, 1975, a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver (registration N64392) operated by Ketchum Air Service was involved in an aviation accident near Kijik Lake, United States of America in flight. 8 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Stall in flight after the pilot's attention diverted from operation of aircraft and he failed to maintain flying speed. Contributing factors: loss of control at altitude too low to effect recovery, heavily loaded aircraft. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 1781229869Data APIEditorial standards

An airplane crashed on a mountain slope about 12 miles from Kijik Lake while cruising in good weather. The wreckage was discovered a day later; all eight occupants were killed. The probable cause was a stall after pilot distraction and failure to maintain airspeed, with contributing factors including low altitude and heavy load.

Overview

On a day with good weather conditions, a general aviation aircraft was cruising when the pilot lost control. The airplane stalled and crashed onto the slope of a mountain approximately 12 miles from Kijik Lake. The wreckage was located the following day. All eight individuals on board died in the accident.

Accident

The aircraft was in cruising flight under favorable weather when control was lost. The airplane entered a stall and impacted mountainous terrain. The search effort located the wreckage one day after the accident. There were no survivors among the eight occupants.

Investigation

The official investigation determined the sequence of events. The pilot's attention became diverted from the operation of the aircraft, leading to a failure to maintain adequate flying speed. This resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing factors included a loss of control at an altitude too low to recover and a heavily loaded aircraft.

Probable Cause

The probable cause was a stall in flight after the pilot diverted attention from operation of the aircraft and failed to maintain flying speed. Contributing factors were loss of control at altitude too low to effect recovery, and a heavily loaded aircraft.