Piper PA-22 accident near Skwentna, AK
On February 1, 1997, a Piper PA-22 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Skwentna, AK. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 1, 1997
- Place
- Skwentna, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 61.929°N, 151.729°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X07368
Official records · ANC97LA025
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Transcripts and Weather: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 1, 1997, about 1427 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-22 airplane, N7235D, was destroyed when it collided with terrain about 45 miles northwest of Skwentna, Alaska. The private certificated pilot and two family members/passengers aboard were fatally injured. The personal, 14 CFR Part 91, cross country flight departed Port Alsworth, Alaska, about 1200, en route to Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The pilot contacted the Kenai FAA Flight Service Station (FSS) about 1113 and requested a weather briefing for a route of flight from Port Alsworth, to Merrill Field, via Lake Clark pass. The FAA specialist briefed the pilot, issuing information which included the current conditions of low fog and stratus over Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula, with pockets of IFR weather. The forecast was for improving weather, with VFR conditions along the route of flight after 1200. The pilot filed a VFR flight plan, and asked the FAA FSS specialist to open the flight plan for him at 1200, the time the pilot estimated he would be airborne. On the flight plan, the pilot estimated his time en route as 2-1/2 hours, and his total fuel on board as three hours. The pilot radioed the Anchorage Air Traffic Approach Control facility about 1350 and requested assistance in determining his position. He indicated he was on top of an overcast, and believed he was near Fire Island, a few miles from Anchorage. The pilot was not instrument rated, and his airplane was not equipped with a transponder, or for flight in instrum
Probable cause
The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and subsequent failure to maintain control of the airplane. Factors associated with the accident are the pilot's inadequate weather evaluation, his becoming lost/disoriented, and spatial disorientation.
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Browse: Alaska · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
