Cessna 182B N2343G

Summary

On 4 March 2013 at about 15:17 local time, a Cessna 182B registered N2343G, operated by Smith TED R, was involved in an accident near Nikolai, Alaska, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 March 2013 at 15:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Nikolai, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Nikolai (PAFS)

Coordinates

62.2411, -153.1544

Aircraft

Cessna 182B

Registration

N2343G

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Smith TED R

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Takotna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC13FA027

3 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering inside a box canyon and the airplane’s subsequent aerodynamic stall, which resulted in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s visual disorientation in flat light conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot and two passengers were on a personal cross-country flight that included flying through a narrow mountain pass. The typical route through the pass required making multiple turns, and the pass intersected with a box canyon. A family member reported the airplane overdue for arrival, and an alert notice was issued. The airplane's wreckage was located the following day at the bottom of the box canyon. A pilot who flew through the mountain pass on the morning of the accident reported 4,400-foot ceilings, severe turbulence, and flat light conditions. A friend of the pilot who attempted to cross the mountain pass the day of the accident reported flat light conditions and having difficulty discerning terrain features. He turned the airplane around due to the weather conditions and returned to the airport. He also stated that the accident pilot had become disorientated the previous year while flying a helicopter through the same mountain pass and had taken the wrong route. A postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Given the lack of mechanical anomalies, the reported weather conditions, and the pilot statements, it is likely that the accident pilot mistakenly entered the box canyon thinking it was his route. Additionally, wreckage impact signatures and GPS data indicated that it is likely that the pilot was attempting to avoid rising terrain by entering a steep bank turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.