Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ANC13FA004
GRUMMAN AIRCRAFT ENG CORP C-1A — Willow, AK
| Date | October 15, 2012 |
| Location | Willow, AK |
| Aircraft | GRUMMAN AIRCRAFT ENG CORP C-1A |
| Purpose of flight | Business |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 62 |
| Pilot total time | 25,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
What happened
The airline transport-rated pilot was on the first leg of a flight to deliver fuel to a remote mining site. About 30 minutes after departure, a primary radar track, thought to be that of the accident airplane, showed the airplane make a 180-degree turn back toward the point of departure. Two witnesses described hearing the airplane pass overhead, and both said that "the airplane did not sound right." One witness stated that the airplane flew directly overhead of his location under a low ceiling and was going very slow.
The airplane was severely damaged by a postimpact fire and explosion. A review of on-scene photographs by an NTSB fire and explosives investigator determined that there was no evidence of an in-flight fire.
Analysis of weather in the area around the time of the accident showed that although the ceiling was low, the weather did not play a significant role in the accident.
An NTSB on-scene examination of the airframe revealed no preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. However, due to the disposition of the wreckage, a detailed examination of the engines could not be accomplished on-scene. The wreckage was not recovered from the accident site. The circumstances leading up to the accident could not be determined.