Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-28-180 near Whittier, AK — 2018-05-12

Final reportANC18FA036
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Date
2018-05-12
Location
Whittier, AK, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA-28-180
Registration
N7061W
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The student pilot's decision to depart and continue on a solo cross-country flight through mountainous terrain in marginal visual flight rules conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot departed on a solo cross-country flight through mountainous terrain. The airplane was subsequently found on the side of a steep, snow-covered mountain near a well-known, charted mountain pass. Detailed radar data were not available, and the airplane's GPS data did not include the end of the flight; therefore, the exact flight track could not be determined. The damage to the airplane and the debris field were consistent with a high-speed impact into deep snow in a relatively wings-level attitude on a heading toward the destination. Examination of the airframe, engine, and associated systems revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Aviation weather camera images near the time and location of the accident indicated an overcast layer of clouds obscuring the mountain tops, and two pilots reported low ceilings and obscured mountains in the area. Forecast weather products that would have been available to the pilot before the flight indicated visual flight rules (VFR) conditions at the departure airport and marginal VFR conditions from the mountain pass to the destination. There was no record that the pilot obtained a weather briefing for the intended route of flight. The pilot's flight logbook and current flight instructor(s) were not located or identified; therefore, whether the pilot had adequate training or had been endorsed by an instructor to complete the solo flight could not be determined. Given the reported and documented weather conditions in the area about the time of the accident, it is likely that the pilot encountered and chose to continue through restricted visibility conditions as he navigated through the mountain pass, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not request a weather briefing before the flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

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