Piper 22/20 N8035D

Summary

On 28 April 1985 at about 17:20 local time, a Piper 22/20 registered N8035D, operated by Russell James Kendall, was involved in an accident near Girdwood, Alaska, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

28 April 1985 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Girdwood, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

60.8994, -148.9105

Aircraft

Piper 22/20

Registration

N8035D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Russell James Kendall

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Girdwood → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC85LA076

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT WAS ON A FLT TO TRANSPORT 2 SKIERS TO A GLACIER AREA, SO THEY COULD SKI DOWNHILL TO A LOCATION TO WHERE THEY COULD BE PICKED UP. THE PLT LANDED THE WHEEL/SKI EQUIPPED ACFT ON UPSLOPING TERRAIN. THE VISIBILITY WAS GOOD, EXCEPT A WHITEOUT PHENOMENA WAS PREVALENT IN THE SELECTED LANDING AREA. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT STRUCK AN UNSEEN SNOW DRIFT WHICH BENT THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR. THE WHITEOUT GLARCIER WAS SO NAMED BECAUSE OF ITS UNIQUE PROPENSITY TO INDUCE WHITEOUT ILLUSIONS. NO ELT WAS INSTALLED IN THE ACFT, SO THE 2 PASSENGERS SKIED DOWN THE GLACIER & SUMMONED HELP. HOWEVER, THE WIND BEGAN BLOWING & DELAYED A RESCUE. TWO DAYS LATER, AN AIR FORCE H-3 HELICOPTER CRASHED DOWNHILL FROM N8035D WHILE ATTEMPTING A RECOVERY. LATER, ANOTHER HELICOPTER WAS USED TO RECOVER THE OCCUPANTS OF BOTH DOWNED ACFT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.