Cessna 208B accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, AK
On January 2, 2016, a Cessna 208B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Anaktuvuk Pass, AK. 5 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 2, 2016
- Place
- Anaktuvuk Pass, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 5 serious, 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 68.078°N, 151.896°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160104X11840
Official records · ANC16LA012
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 2, 2016, about 1205 Alaska standard time, a single-engine, turbine-powered Cessna 208B airplane, N540ME, impacted mountainous, snow-covered terrain about 6 miles southwest of Anaktuvuk Pass Airport, Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska. The airline transport pilot and four passengers sustained serious injuries, and three passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was being operated by Wright Air Service, Inc., Fairbanks, Alaska, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled commuter flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) existed at the Anaktuvuk Pass Airport at the time of the accident, and company flight-following procedures were in effect. The flight departed from Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska, about 1030 destined for Anaktuvuk Pass. The area between Fairbanks and Anaktuvuk Pass consists of remote, steep mountainous terrain, which is snow-covered in January. Following the accident, the pilot stated that, after receiving a weather briefing in the morning from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Service Center, he chose to conduct the flight under VFR. He reported that, while en route to Anaktuvuk Pass about 10,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the visibility began "getting fuzzy" as he flew over the Caribou Hills. He then descended to 2,500 ft msl (or 500 ft above ground level) to fly along the John River. When the airplane was about 10 miles southwest of Anaktuvuk Pass, he climbed to about 3,000 ft msl to be at the published airport traff
Probable cause
The pilot’s continued flight into deteriorating, flat light weather conditions, which resulted in impact with mountainous, snow-covered terrain.
More accidents in AK
- Beech 1900C, Nov 23, 1987
- Textron Aviation Inc 208B, Feb 6, 2025
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jul 7, 2013
- Cessna 208, Oct 10, 2001
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Jun 25, 2015
Browse: Alaska · Cessna 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.
