Champion 7EC N4340C accident near Valdez, Alaska

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to continue visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions which resulted in loss of control and collision with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight when he did not arrive at his destination as expected.

The wreckage was located three days later at an elevation of about 2,560 ft mean sea level in an area of tundra and rock-covered terrain. Examination indicated that the airplane impacted terrain in a near-vertical attitude. There were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and the propeller displayed evidence that the engine was producing power at the time of impact.

Multiple witnesses along the route of flight reported seeing the airplane flying just above the trees in very poor weather conditions. Weather camera images taken near the accident site around the time of the accident showed near-zero visibility and clouds near the surface. Although these conditions had been forecast, there was no record of the pilot obtaining weather information from an access-controlled source before he departed on the flight.

Review of the pilot’s flight training history and endorsements revealed that he did not possess a valid solo cross-country endorsement for the accident flight. The pilot’s flight instructor had not provided any instruction in flight by reference to instruments because the pilot’s airplane was not equipped for instrument flight.

Although toxicology testing of the pilot indicated that he had used cannabis at some point before the accident, given that no psychoactive compounds were identified in blood and that urine and blood concentrations of the inactive metabolite, THC-COOH, do not necessarily reflect recent use, it is unlikely that the pilot’s use of cannabis contributed to the accident.

Based on the wreckage signature and weather at the time of the accident, the pilot likely lost control of the airplane while maneuvering after encountering near-zero visibility in the dense cloud cover.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC22FA053 for the full record.