Accident
On November 29, 2019, about 1911 Alaska standard time, a Piper PA-31-350 airplane, registered as N4087G, was destroyed by impact and postcrash fire after colliding with mountainous terrain approximately 15 miles west of Cooper Landing, Alaska. The aircraft was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 visual flight rules air ambulance flight under the call sign SVX36. The three occupants—an airline transport pilot, a flight nurse, and a flight paramedic—were fatally injured.
Flight Details
The flight departed Ted Stevens International Airport (PANC) in Anchorage, Alaska, around 1848, destined for Seward Airport (PAWD) in Seward, Alaska. Dark night visual meteorological conditions existed at both departure and destination locations, and company flight following procedures were in effect. Dispatch records indicate that earlier that day, Providence Seward Medical Center emergency clinic personnel contacted multiple air ambulance companies for possible transport of a patient from Seward to Anchorage. Guardian Flight declined at 1624 due to limited daylight hours; LifeMed Alaska declined at 1637 due to weather. Medevac Alaska, the third company contacted, forwarded the request to Security Aviation (the sole air charter provider for Medevac Alaska) at 1731, and the flight was accepted. The flight crew consisted of a nurse and paramedic.
Sequence of Events
A preliminary review of archived Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar and automatic dependent surveillance (ADS-B) data revealed that the airplane departed PANC and flew south at about 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl) toward the Sterling Highway. The airplane then descended to 2,200 ft msl while flying a right racetrack pattern before entering the valley toward Cooper Landing. The last data point, recorded at 1911:14, showed the airplane over the west end of Jean Lake at 2,100 ft msl, on a 127° course, with a groundspeed of 122 knots. Ground witnesses on the Sterling Highway near milepost 63 reported seeing the airplane's lights. One witness observed the airplane west of the mountains turn in a circle as it descended, then enter the valley, with wings rocking back and forth. The witness then heard an explosion and saw a large fire on the mountainside. Another witness reported seeing the airplane flying low and exploding on impact. Witnesses called 911 and watched the wreckage burn for an extended period.
Wreckage and Recovery
The airplane was reported overdue by Security Aviation's chief pilot, and the FAA issued an alert notice (ALNOT) at 2031. The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center dispatched an MH-60 helicopter to the last known position, locating the burning wreckage, which was inaccessible due to high winds. On December 1, 2019, Alaska State Troopers coordinated a mountain recovery mission with the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The wreckage was found at an elevation of about 1,425 ft msl on steep, heavily tree-covered terrain near the southeast end of Jean Lake in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The airplane was highly fragmented and burned, but all major components were accounted for. Multiple large trees around the wreckage were fractured, indicating an easterly heading prior to initial impact.