Fairchild Heli-Porter PILATUS PC-6 accident near Port Alsworth, AK
On October 29, 2016, a Fairchild Heli-Porter PILATUS PC-6 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Port Alsworth, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 29, 2016
- Place
- Port Alsworth, AK
- Aircraft
- Fairchild Heli-Porter PILATUS PC-6 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 61.095°N, 153.447°W
- NTSB ID
- 20161031X30541
Official records · ANC17FA004
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- NTSB Air Traffic Control Radar Study: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- NTSB Air Traffic Control Radar Study - Attachmentt 1- Graphics: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 28, 2016, about 1828 Alaska daylight time, a Fairchild Heli-Porter Pilatus PC-6, N5308F, was substantially damaged when it impacted mountainous terrain about 57 miles north-northeast of Port Alsworth, Alaska. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to Highland Air LLC and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure and destination, with areas of reduced visibility and lower cloud ceilings along the route of flight. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which departed Lake Hood Seaplane Base (LHD), Anchorage, Alaska, at 1711, destined for a private airstrip near Port Alsworth, Alaska. According to a family member of the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to transport fuel from LHD to the family residence on Lake Clark, near Port Alsworth, which was an approximate 140 nm, 1.2-hour flight. The pilot had delivered a load of fuel the previous day and spent the night at the family residence. He flew back to Anchorage the morning of the accident and was expected to return to Port Alsworth about 1800. According to friends and family, the pilot was very familiar with the routes through the mountains to Lake Clark. Typically, the pilot would fly through the Lake Clark Pass, unless the weather was low, in which case he would take the northern Merrill Pass route. Before departing on the accident flight, the pilot sent the family member a text message at 1623, which stated, "fueling now, will text." The family
Probable cause
The airplane's collision with mountainous terrain while operating in an area of reduced visibility and icing conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which would have identified deteriorating weather conditions along the planned route of flight.
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Browse: Alaska
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
