http://registry.faa.gov/N444LZ
NTSB Identification: ANC13FAMS1
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, October 13, 2012 in Kenai, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/27/2013
Aircraft: PIPER PA-18-150, registration: N444LZ
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
NTSB
investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or
conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel,
and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft
accident report.
The solo student pilot likely departed during
dark night conditions on a personal, visual flight rules, cross-country
flight between two Alaskan communities. An Alaska state trooper said
that, during his initial investigation, he learned that the pilot was
asked by security personnel to leave a bar after a disturbance with
other bar patrons. The bar security guard stated that the “very
intoxicated” individual left in a taxicab about midnight. The taxicab
driver reported that, just after midnight, he drove the pilot to the
airport. The taxicab driver stated that the pilot told him that he
intended to sleep in the airplane overnight, which was something that he
had done many times before.
A review of archived radar data revealed
that, about 0137, an unidentified aircraft, believed to be the missing
airplane, departed from the airport. After departure, the radar target
initially proceeded southeast of the airport before it turned and flew
west, then northeast, before making a series of erratic turns, along
with several changes in speed, heading, and altitude. Eventually, the
radar target proceeded northwest over a saltwater inlet, before turning
back to the northeast. The last position of the radar target was
recorded about 0248, roughly mid-channel, while in a descent over the
inlet, about 30 miles north of the departure airport. The area of the
presumed crash site experiences extreme tides and strong currents, with
reduced visibility due to turbidity. An extensive search was conducted,
but the airplane has been declared missing and is presumed to have
crashed; the student pilot is presumed to have received fatal injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
Undetermined. The airplane and pilot were not found.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On
October 13, 2012, at an undetermined time, a tailwheel-equipped Piper
PA-18-150 airplane, N444LZ, went missing and is presumed to have
crashed, at a location between Soldotna, Alaska, and Palmer, Alaska. The
student pilot, who was also the airplane owner, is presumed to have
received fatal injuries, and the airplane is presumed to have been
destroyed. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules
cross-country personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Dark night, visual meteorological conditions
likely prevailed at the point of departure, and no flight plan was
filed. The flight is presumed to have originated at the Soldotna Airport
in Soldotna, at 0137 and was reportedly en route to the private Wolf
Lake Airport in Palmer.
An Alaska State Trooper who participated
in the search reported that the missing airplane was one of two
airplanes that arrived at the Soldotna Airport on the afternoon of
October 12. He said that the two pilots parked their airplanes in the
transient parking area with plans to stay overnight in Soldotna and
return to Palmer the next day. The State Trooper added that, during his
initial investigation, he learned that both pilots went to local bar in
Soldotna, and that the pilot of the missing airplane left the bar in a
taxicab about midnight.
In a written statement to the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), dated November 2, the pilot of the
second airplane, a longtime friend of the missing pilot, reported that
after arriving in Soldotna the pair attended a local hockey game
together. After the game, they met a group of friends and visited a few
local bars in Soldotna. He added that just after midnight, on October
13, his friend was asked by security personnel to leave a bar, so he
walked his friend to an awaiting taxicab. He reported that, once his
friend was in the back of the taxicab, he instructed the driver to take
him to a local hotel, and that was the last time he saw him.
During
a telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) on
October 30, a bar security guard reported that, just after midnight on
October 13, he escorted an individual matching the description of the
pilot to an awaiting taxicab after the individual had a brief
disturbance with other bar customers. The security guard stated that the
individual was very intoxicated.
During a telephone conversation
with the NTSB IIC on October 30, a taxicab driver reported that, just
after midnight at the bar, two individuals placed an intoxicated person
(later determined to be the missing pilot) in the back of his taxicab
and instructed him to take the pilot to a local hotel. The taxicab
driver said that, after he drove the pilot to the hotel as instructed,
the pilot refused to get out of the taxicab. The driver stated that the
pilot first asked to be taken back to the bar but subsequently insisted
to be taken to the Soldotna Airport. After the taxicab driver
reluctantly agreed to take him to the airport, and when he asked the man
about his intentions, the pilot reported that was going to sleep in the
airplane, something he had done many times before. The taxicab driver
said that after arriving at the Soldotna Airport, the pilot got out, but
he did not see which way he went, and he did not see an airplane
nearby.
A review and forensic analysis of archived radar data was
done by the National Radar Assessment Team, along with technicians for
the U.S. Air Force 84th Radar Evaluation Squadron, commonly known as
RADES, which revealed that, on October 13, about 0137, an unidentified
aircraft, believed to be the missing airplane, departed from the
Soldotna Airport. After departure, the radar track initially proceeded
southeast of the airport before it turned and flew west, then northeast,
before making a series of erratic turns, along with several changes in
speed, heading and altitude. Eventually, the radar track proceeded
northwest over the waters of Cook Inlet, before turning back to the
northeast. The last position of the radar target was recorded about
0248, roughly mid-channel, while in a descent over the Cook Inlet, about
30 miles north of Soldotna, or about 25 miles north-northeast of Kenai,
Alaska. A copy of the radar flight track map overlay is included in the
public docket for this accident.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
The
pilot, age 27, held a student pilot/third class medical certificate
that was issued on April 11, 2011. The medical certificate contained no
limitations. A student pilot certificate, for an individual under 40
years old, is valid for 60 months.
No personal flight records
were located for the student pilot, and the aeronautical experience
listed on page 3 of this report was obtained from FAA records on file in
the Airman and Medical Records Center located in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma. On his application for medical certificate, dated April 11,
2011, he indicated that his total aeronautical experience was 15 flight
hours, all of which were accrued in the previous 6 months.
A
review of the student pilot’s third class medical certificate, dated
April 11, 2011, revealed that in section "V" of the application for
airman medical and student certificate, FAA form number 8500-8, the
accident pilot checked "No," indicating that he had never been convicted
or arrested on any charges of driving while intoxicated (DWI).
According
to information provided by the Alaska State Troopers, the pilot was
charged, and he was convicted to a DWI charge in June of 2002.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The
closest weather reporting facility was at the Kenai Municipal Airport,
about 25 miles south-southwest of the last position of the radar target.
At 0153, a weather observation from the Kenai Airport was reporting, in
part: Wind, 020 degrees (true) at 3 knots; visibility, 10 statute
miles; cloud and sky conditions, clear; temperature, 25 degrees F; dew
point, 23 degrees F; altimeter, 29.11 inHg. Dark night conditions
prevailed at that time.
COMMUNICATIONS
There were no reports of communications with the missing airplane.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The
presumed crash site is the Cook Inlet, a saltwater inlet off the Gulf
of Alaska. According to nautical charts, at the last known location of
the airplane, the water is less than 100 feet deep during mean low tide.
The several rivers that terminate at the inlet are glacier fed, and
visibility in the water is often less than 1 foot due to turbidity. The
Inlet is an area with strong tidal influence, and strong currents.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
The sole occupant has not been recovered, and no medical or pathological information is available.
SEARCH AND RESCUE / SURVIVAL ASPECTS
After
the airplane did not arrive in Palmer the following day, family and
friends of the missing pilot reported the airplane overdue. The Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert notice on October 14 at
0923 Alaska daylight time. Search personnel from the Civil Air Patrol,
Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Air National Guard, and the U.S. Coast
Guard, along with several volunteers, were dispatched to conduct an
extensive search effort. The official search was suspended on October
21. Family members and volunteers continued to search for the missing
airplane.
No emergency transmitter locator (ELT) signal was
received by search personnel. The missing airplane was not equipped
with, nor required to be equipped with, a digital, 406 MHz ELT that
instantly transmits a distress signal to search and rescue satellites,
thereby alerting rescue personnel within minutes of the location of the
crash. As of February 1, 2009, analog, 121.5 MHz ELT's stopped being
monitored by search and rescue satellites, and the installation of the
406 MHz has been voluntary. The missing airplane had an older generation
121.5 MHz ELT installed. Both types of ELT’s can be turned on manually,
or automatically, by impact forces.
Search personnel reported that survival time, in water less than 40 degrees F, is typically less than one hour.
NTSB Identification: ANC13FAMS1
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, October 13, 2012 in Kenai, AK
Aircraft: PIPER PA-18-150, registration: N444LZ
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
u7
On October 13, 2012, at an undetermined time, a tailwheel-equipped Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N444LZ, went missing and is presumed to have crashed, possibly at a location between Soldotna, Alaska, and Palmer, Alaska. The student pilot, who was also the airplane owner, is presumed to have received fatal injuries, and the airplane is presumed to have sustained substantial damage. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules cross-country personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the point of departure, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Soldotna Airport in Soldotna, at an unknown time and was reportedly en route to the Wolf Lake Airport in Palmer.
After the accident airplane did not arrive in Palmer, family and friends of the missing pilot reported the airplane overdue. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert notice on October 14 at 0923 Alaska daylight time. Search personnel from the Civil Air Patrol, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Air National Guard, and the U.S. Coast Guard, along with several volunteers, were dispatched to conduct an extensive search effort. No emergency locator transmitter signal was detected. The official search was suspended on October 23. Family members and volunteers have continued to search for the missing airplane.
A review of archived radar data revealed that, on October 13, about 0137, an unidentified aircraft, believed to be the accident airplane, departed from the Soldotna Airport. After departure, the radar track initially proceeded southeast of the airport before it turned and proceeded west then northeast over land before making more turns and eventually proceeding over the waters of Cook Inlet. The last position of the radar target was recorded about 0248, mid-channel over the Cook Inlet, about 30 miles north of Soldotna, or about 25 miles north-northeast of Kenai, Alaska.
The closest weather reporting facility was at the Kenai Municipal Airport, about 25 miles south-southwest of the last position of the radar target. At 0153, a weather observation from the Kenai Airport was reporting, in part: Wind, 020 degrees (true) at 3 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; cloud and sky conditions, clear; temperature, 25 degrees F; dew point, 23 degrees F; altimeter, 29.11 inHg. Dark night conditions prevailed at that time.
Search efforts were unsuccessful, and the airplane and the sole occupant remain missing.
http://registry.faa.gov/N444LZ
PALMER, Alaska — A pilot and his plane have been missing since Saturday afternoon, according to pilot's friends.
Brendan Mattingly of Palmer was last seen at the Soldotna Airport between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. He was flying east to Palmer, a flight that generally takes an hour and a half.
Mattingly's friend, who prefers to remain anonymous, notified officials that Mattingly's flight was overdue.
Civil Air Patrol and the Alaska State Troopers are leading the search, but a few private pilots have joined the official search efforts today. The focus areas of the private search party are Chickaloon Flats and the Soldotna Game Refuge between Soldotna and Cook Inlet.
Mattingly has been a pilot for two years. He was flying a green, red, and white PA 18 Super Cub.