NTSB Factual Report

On April 11, 2018, about 0818 Alaska daylight time, a single-engine, turbine-powered Cessna 208B airplane, N814GV, impacted snow-covered terrain about two miles north of the Atqasuk Airport, Atqasuk, Alaska. The airline transport pilot, the only occupant onboard, sustained minor injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was being operated by Hageland Aviation Services, Inc., dba Ravn Connect, Anchorage, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country cargo/mail flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) existed at the flight's point of departure, and company flight-following procedures were in effect. The flight originated about 0758, from the Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) Airport, Utqiagvik Alaska, and it was destined for Atqasuk, which is located about 58 miles south.

The area between Utqiagvik and Atqasuk consists of remote, flat, featureless, tundra-covered terrain, which is snow-covered in April.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on April 12, the director of safety for the company related that the purpose of the flight was to transport a load of U.S. Post Office mail to Atqasuk.

During a brief telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on April 13, the accident pilot said that he departed from Utqiagvik just before 0800 with approximately 1,500 pounds of mail on board that was destined for Atqasuk. He noted that weather conditions at the time of departure consisted of clear skies, 9 miles visibility, and a light wind. After takeoff, the airplane climbed to 2,500 feet msl, and proceeded southbound towards Atqasuk.

The pilot said that as the airplane neared Atqasuk, with the autopilot engaged, the airplane descended to about 1,500 feet msl, but then he noticed an area of low fog around Atqasuk. He said that when the airplane was about two miles from the airport, he heard the audible autopilot disengagement annunciator tone sound, which was immediately followed by the pilot's control column pitching forward. The pilot said that he was unable to pull the control column back, and the airplane subsequently descended into instrument meteorological conditions. He said that the airplane continued to descend into the fog, then it struck the snow-covered tundra, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage.

The airplane was 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. However, no emergency transmitter locator (ELT) signal was received by search personnel, but the pilot was able to use his cell phone to alert company personnel of the accident.

During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on April 13, a North Slope Borough Search and Rescue helicopter pilot said that while en route from Utqiagvik to the accident site he encountered ice fog, reduced visibility, and flat light conditions that made it difficult to discern topographical features on the snow-covered tundra. He noted that as the flight continued, both pilots noticed ice beginning to accumulate on the helicopter's windscreen, so the decision was made to abort the search and rescue flight, and the helicopter returned to Utqiagvik. A search team from Atqasuk eventually reached the accident site on snow machines and transported the pilot to Atqasuk.

The closest recorded weather reporting facility was the Utqiagvik Airport, 58 miles north of the accident site. The 0753 observation reported, in part: Wind, 030° at 9 knots; visibility, 9 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, clear; temperature, minus 7° F; dew point, minus 3° F; altimeter, 29.66 inches of Mercury.

A detailed examination of the airplane wreckage is pending.