Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser, N3885M: Accident occurred June 30, 2013 in Talkeetna, Alaska

NTSB Identification: ANC13CA060
 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, June 30, 2013 in Talkeetna, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/13/2013
Aircraft: PIPER PA-12, registration: N3885M
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot stated that he was en route to a remote cabin site, and he made a wrong turn into a box canyon. As he flew farther into the canyon, he had to initiate a climb to avoid rising terrain ahead, and the airplane subsequently climbed into an area of light rain, fog, and reduced visibility. He said that as he was attempting to turn the airplane around, the left wing impacted terrain, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The airplane was equipped with a required emergency locator transmitter (ELT), however, it was an older generation ELT that transmitted only on 121.5 megahertz, not the newer, digital version that transmits on 406 megahertz.

As of February 2009, the search and rescue satellites that receive ELT signals no longer had the capability to receive the older analog 121.5 megahertz ELTs. The 406 megahertz ELTs are received within seconds of activation, and rescuers are notified within minutes of the accident location.

In this accident, the pilot and passenger were missing for approximately 24 hours before searchers were able to locate the wreckage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's loss of situational awareness, which resulted in a wrong turn into a box canyon, and an in flight collision with terrain.

The pilot stated that he was en route to a remote cabin site, and he made a wrong turn into a box canyon. As he flew farther into the canyon, he had to initiate a climb to avoid rising terrain ahead, and the airplane subsequently climbed into an area of light rain, fog, and reduced visibility. He said that as he was attempting to turn the airplane around, the left wing impacted terrain, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The airplane was equipped with a required emergency locator transmitter (ELT), however, it was an older generation ELT that transmitted only on 121.5 megahertz, not the newer, digital version that transmits on 406 megahertz.

As of February 2009, the search and rescue satellites that receive ELT signals no longer had the capability to receive the older analog 121.5 megahertz ELTs. The 406 megahertz ELTs are received within seconds of activation, and rescuers are notified within minutes of the accident location.

In this accident, the pilot and passenger were missing for approximately 24 hours before searchers were able to locate the wreckage.
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 TALKEETNA, Alaska— Alaska State Troopers have identified two Washington men who were safely rescued near Talkeetna by the Alaska National Guard Monday evening, almost a day after their plane crashed. 

According to a Tuesday AST dispatch, 67-year-old pilot William Gough and 65-year-old passenger Alan Thompson were the occupants of the Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser plane which was located Monday near Iron Creek east of Talkeetna.

“Investigation revealed Gough and Thompson were en route to a hunting camp up the Talkeetna River on (Sunday evening) and crashed due to poor weather conditions and steep terrain,” troopers wrote. “Neither man was injured in the incident, however the mayday signal did not get picked up until nearly 24 hours later. The men were prepared for the weather and stayed at the crash site until their rescue.”

Alaska National Guard spokesperson Sgt. Edward Eagerton says in a Tuesday statement that an F-22 Raptor fighter pilot, returning from training at Eielson Air Force Base, told the 11th Air Force’s Rescue Coordination Center just after 1:30 p.m. Monday that he had heard a Mayday call but wasn’t able to get a radio response.

While RCC members weren’t immediately able to match the call to an overdue civilian or military aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Anchorage Center reported receiving a Mayday call at about 2:45 p.m., placing the crash near Deep Creek.

At about 3:45 p.m., an Alaska Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter launched from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, just as an active-duty C-130 Hercules with JBER’s 537th Airlift Squadron picked up and monitored the 121.5 MHz ELT’s signal. The C-130 handed off the search -- hampered by communications difficulties in the area -- to the Pave Hawk and an HC-130 search plane, with the helicopter crew reporting at 6 p.m. that it had contacted Gough and Thompson, then dropping them off with Talkeetna troopers at 6:20 p.m.

“The pilot indicated he was intermittently switching on his 121.5 ELT, which is not something we recommend,” said Senior Master Sgt. Robert Carte, the RCC’s superintendent. “It’s important that pilots leave the ELT on so rescuers have a better chance at locating them. In the case of a 121.5 ELT, it can cause a significant delay when rescue aircraft don’t have a constant signal to focus on.”

Carte also notes delays in the rescue effort caused by the plane’s older 121.5 MHz model of ELT, which transmits radio signals to passing aircraft. Echoing comments on the Guard’s Sunday rescue of pilot Ron Brooks from a crash southwest of Fairbanks, Carte says a newer satellite-based 406 MHz transmitter would have offered faster, more reliable information to rescuers.

Troopers say the PA-12 received significant damage in the crash, which has been passed on to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board for investigation.