What happened
On the evening of November 29, 2019, a Piper PA-31-350, registration N4087G, crashed into a mountain near the southeast end of Jean Lake, Alaska. The aircraft was operating as a Part 135 air ambulance service for Security Aviation, performing a visual flight rules mission. The flight originated from Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, destined for Seward Airport.
Prior to the flight, several air ambulance providers had been contacted by medical personnel for a weather check regarding a potential patient transfer. While other companies had declined the mission due to darkness or weather conditions, the request was forwarded to Security Aviation, which accepted the flight at 1731.
Radar and ADS-B data showed the aircraft traveling south at approximately 3,000 feet mean sea level. The plane was observed performing a right-hand racetrack pattern and descending to 2,200 feet before entering a valley toward Cooper Landing. Witnesses on the Sterling Highway reported seeing the aircraft's lights and observing it fly low over the highway. One witness described seeing the plane circle and descend into the mountains, followed by the sound of an explosion and a large fire on the mountainside.
Following the impact, the aircraft was destroyed by the collision and a subsequent post-crash fire. The three fatalities included the pilot, a flight nurse, and a flight paramedic. Search efforts involving an MH-60 helicopter and mountain rescue teams eventually located the wreckage in steep, heavily forested terrain at an elevation of roughly 1,425 feet.
Findings
Investigation of the wreckage revealed that the aircraft was highly fragmented due to the force of the impact and the intensity of the fire. Analysis of nearby trees indicated that the aircraft was traveling on an easterly heading at the moment of initial impact.