Cessna T207 N1621U

Summary

On 1 July 2005 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna T207 registered N1621U, operated by John H. Phillips, was involved in an accident near Nanwalek, Alaska, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 July 2005 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Nanwalek, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

58.9431, -152.0217

Aircraft

Cessna T207

Registration

N1621U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John H. Phillips

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Homer → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC05FA090

3 people died.

The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with an island cliff during cruise flight. A factor contributing to the accident was fog in the area of the accident.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport certificated pilot and the two pilot-rated passengers traveled to Alaska for a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flying vacation. The pilot received a VFR check-out in a rented airplane, and was the only person authorized by its owner to fly it. The pilot obtained a weather briefing for the day of the accident flight, and queried an FAA automated flight service station (AFSS) specialist about VFR conditions for a sight-seeing flight. The FSS specialist stated, in part, "Well, it doesn't really look good probably anywhere today..." The area forecast included areas of marginal VFR and IFR conditions, and an AIRMET for mountain obscuration. The cloud and sky conditions included scattered clouds at 1,500 feet in light rain showers, with areas of isolated ceilings below 1,000 feet, and visibility below 3 statute miles in rain showers and mist. The weather briefing included a report from a pilot who was about 23 miles north of the accident scene about 2 hours before the accident airplane departed. The pilot reported fog and mist to the water, and said he was unable to maintain VFR. Five minutes after receiving the weather briefing, the accident pilot again called the AFSS and requested the telephone number to an automated weather observing system, located south of the point of departure, where VFR conditions were forecast. Local fishing charter captains reported fog in the area of the islands where the accident occurred. One vessel captain reported hearing an airplane in the vicinity of the islands, but could not see it because of the fog. The pilot did not file a flight plan, nor did he indicate any planned itinerary. The airplane was reported overdue two days after departure. The accident wreckage was located an additional two days later on the north cliff face of a remote island. The airplane had collided with the island at high speed, about 800 feet mean sea level, and a postcrash fire had incinerated the cockpit and cabin area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.