Taylorcraft BL12 N33902

Summary

On 28 April 1998 at about 04:10 local time, a Taylorcraft BL12 registered N33902 was involved in an accident near Sitka, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 April 1998 at 04:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Sitka, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

56.7305, -134.9994

Aircraft

Taylorcraft BL12

Registration

N33902

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Yakutat → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ANC98FA043

1 person died.

The pilot's attempted VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing factors were clouds, the pilot's lack of instrument flight experience, obscuration and mountainous terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated private pilot departed on a cross-country flight over coastal fjords and mountainous terrain. Prior to departure, the pilot obtained a weather briefing that included AIRMETs for mountain obscuration in clouds and precipitation along the route of flight. No flight plan was filed by the pilot. About 10 hours after departure, an ELT signal was received from a location about 7 miles from the planned destination. Due to low ceilings, helicopter search personnel could not reach the accident site. The following day, the airplane wreckage was located on steep, snow covered mountainous terrain, about 3,000 feet mean sea level. Avalanche conditions prevented rescue personnel from reaching the wreckage until 18 days later.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.