Beechcraft 36 N7673N

Summary

On 26 June 2004 at about 00:00 local time, a Beechcraft 36 registered N7673N, operated by John Collins, was involved in an accident near Talkeetna, 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

26 June 2004 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Talkeetna, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.9872, -149.8922

Aircraft

Beechcraft 36

Registration

N7673N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John Collins

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kenai → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC04FA070

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain during cruise flight, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The solo private pilot was on a day VFR personal cross-country flight when the airplane collided with gradually up-sloping terrain in a remote area. The pilot was fatally injured, and a postcrash fire consumed the airplane's fuselage and empennage. On site investigation disclosed that the airplane impacted in a near level attitude, with the airplane's crash path and debris field approximately 400 feet long. The airplane propeller hub assembly and propellers were found in the debris field. The propeller tips were fragmented, and the remaining blades had torsional twisting and leading edge gouges. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction was discovered. Conversations with the co-owner of the airplane revealed that the pilot was on vacation in Alaska from California, and had frequently flown the airplane to Alaska. The co-owner noted that the airplane was equipped with a functioning 3-axis autopilot, and that he and the accident pilot utilized it on most flights. He said he was unaware of any mechanical problems with the airplane. A family member of the pilot indicated that he was taking oral medication to control diabetes, but no additional information was provided or discovered. The FAA was unaware of any medical conditions the pilot may have had, and a postmortem examination and toxicological samples disclosed no definitive evidence of preimpact incapacitation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.