Maule M6 N56512

Summary

On 29 June 2019 at about 00:08 local time, a Maule M6 registered N56512 was involved in an accident near Moose Pass, Alaska, United States. 4 people were on board and 3 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 June 2019 at 00:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Moose Pass, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

60.5392, -149.5444

Aircraft

Maule M6

Registration

N56512

Category

Airplane

Year built

1983

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Seward → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

Unk

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC19FA029

3 people died.

The pilot's geographic disorientation and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering to avoid mountainous terrain, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a personal flight with three passengers aboard. The flight encountered an area of deteriorating visibility due to smoke from a wildfire burning in the area, and the pilot was attempting to follow a highway through mountainous terrain. The pilot-rated passenger stated that, as the flight progressed, forward visibility deteriorated and was "not very good at all"; she was able to see outside the cockpit only straight down. Further, a witness near the accident site reported 1/4 miles visibility about the time of the accident. The pilot-rated passenger stated that the pilot seemed stressed due to the deteriorating conditions and that the airplane occupants discussed locating an alternate destination. The airplane then entered an unusual attitude, and one passenger began yelling, "pull-up, pull-up" to which the pilot responded, "I've got this." The pilot-rated passenger's last recollection of the flight was the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall. GPS data from the accident flight revealed that, about 2 minutes before the accident, the airplane made about a 180° right turn and began a descent to a GPS altitude of 1,235 ft, followed by a left turn to a northerly heading and a climb to a GPS altitude of 2,032 ft and a groundspeed of 37 knots. The last recorded in-flight data point showed that the airplane was at a GPS altitude of 1,587 ft and at a 0- knot groundspeed. The on-scene examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The observed damage to the airplane indicated that it impacted the ground in a nose-down, near-vertical attitude, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Given the passenger's account and GPS data, it is likely that, due to the restricted visibility conditions, the pilot became geographically disoriented, which resulted in the airplane's flight path toward rising terrain. It is also likely that the pilot subsequently initiated a sudden climb, during which the airplane's critical angle of attack was exceeded, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.