Beechcraft 1900C N112AX

Summary

On 22 January 2010 at about 03:45 local time, a Beechcraft 1900C registered N112AX, operated by Alaska Central Express, Inc., was involved in an accident near Sand Point, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 January 2010 at 03:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Sand Point, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Sand Point (SPD)

Coordinates

55.3328, -160.5411

Aircraft

Beechcraft 1900C

Registration

N112AX

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Alaska Central Express, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sand Point → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ANC10FA014

2 people died.

An in-flight loss of control for an undetermined reason, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The crew departed on a commercial cargo flight during dark night, visual meteorological conditions on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The departure end of the runway is adjacent to an ocean bay, and wind gusts up to 26 knots were reported. Local residents north of the airport reported stronger wind, estimated between 50 and 60 knots. A fuel truck operator, who was familiar with the crew’s normal routine, reported that, before the airplane taxied to the runway, it remained on the ramp for 6 or 8 minutes with both engines operating, which he described as very unusual. There were no reports of radio communications with the flight crew after the airplane departed. The airplane crashed about 1 mile offshore, and the fragmented wreckage sank in ocean water. Because of the fragmented nature of the wreckage and ocean current, the complete wreckage was not recovered. The cockpit area forward of the wings was extensively fragmented, thus the validity of any postaccident cockpit and instrument findings was unreliable. Likewise, structural damage to the airframe precluded determining flight control continuity. Both propellers had witness marks consistent with operating under engine power and within their normal operating range. A postaccident examination of the engines and recovered components did not disclose any evidence of a mechanical malfunction. Due to the lack of mechanical deficiencies of the engines and propellers, and the extensive airframe fragmentation consistent with a high-speed water impact, it is likely that the crew had an in-flight loss of control of an unknown origin before impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.