N19454

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On January 23, 2001, about 2135 Alaska standard time, a Douglas DC-3 airplane, N19454, was destroyed by impact and postimpact fire after colliding with mountainous terrain, about 4.5 miles northwest of Unalaska, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR), nonscheduled domestic cargo flight, under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by Galaxy Air Cargo Inc., doing business as Majestic Air Cargo, Anchorage, Alaska. The captain and the first officer, both airline transport certificated pilots, received fatal injuries. Dark night, visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A flight plan was not filed. The flight originated at the Unalaska Airport, about 2130.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the crew of the accident airplane telephoned the Kenai Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) on January 23, at 0807, requesting a weather briefing from Anchorage to Dutch Harbor, Alaska (Unalaska), and indicated the flight anticipated departing Anchorage about 1200, under VFR or instrument flight rules (IFR). The flight service station specialist provided a briefing in which VFR was not recommended due to AIRMETS for IFR conditions, and mountain obscuration along the entire route, conditions that were prevalent on either the Pacific or Bering Sea sides of the Alaska peninsula. The briefing also included low level turbulence, occasional moderate rime icing, wind conditions up to 51 knots, with light rain and snow at Cold Bay, Alaska, and wind conditions up to 28 knots, with light rain and mist at Dutch Harbor.

At 0957, the crew telephoned the Kenai AFSS and requested a weather briefing from Anchorage, to Dutch Harbor, via Kenai, Alaska, King Salmon, Alaska, and Cold Bay, again indicated a probable 1200 departure. The specialist indicated the Anchorage weather conditions as wind, 200 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 1 3/4 mile in light snow and mist, few clouds at 500 feet, ceiling 900 feet overcast. The flight service station specialist provided weather conditions for Kenai, Iliamna, Alaska, King Salmon, Cold Bay, and Dutch Harbor, all of which had VFR conditions.

The accident airplane departed Anchorage on a VFR flight, but not on a flight plan. The crew of the airplane contacted the Kenai AFSS by radio at 1312, and requested weather information for Kenai, King Salmon, Cold Bay, and Dutch Harbor. The flight service station specialist provided weather data that included AIRMETs along the route of flight for mountain obscuration, turbulence, icing, and low level wind shear. The specialist indicated the weather conditions at Cold Bay were winds of 32 knots with gusts to 40 knots, visibility of 2 1/2 miles in light rain, snow and fog, ceiling 1,400 feet overcast. Dutch Harbor weather included winds to 21 knots in light showers.

The crew of the accident airplane contacted the Kenai AFSS by radio at 1407, 1527, and 1607, for updates on weather conditions at King Salmon, Cold Bay, and Dutch Harbor.

At 1745, the crew contacted the Cold Bay FSS for a weather update at Dutch Harbor. The FSS specialist indicated the wind was 200 degrees at 11 knots, visibility was 5 miles, scattered clouds at 100 feet, broken clouds at 1,200 feet, overcast at 1,600 feet, altimeter of 28.80 inHg. The remarks included light snow and mist, with visibility and ceilings lower from the northeast though southeast. The crew commented that the airplane was abeam Cold Bay at 10,500 feet, with good weather conditions, having passed a low pressure area near Port Heiden, Alaska, and said their anticipated arrival at Unalaska was going to be near dark.

At 1750, the crew contacted the Cold Bay FSS and requested that the specialist telephone Peninsula Airways at the Unalaska Airport for fuel, with an anticipated arrival time of one hour and ten minutes.

Investigation by the Unalaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) determined that the accident airplane arrived at the airport on January 23, about 1915. The crew of the airplane initially planned to remain overnight, but the captain received a request to transport about 2,500 pounds of cargo from Unalaska to Anchorage. The airplane was loaded with cargo and fueled with 464 gallons of 100/130 octane fuel. The loading agent recalled hearing the airplane engines start about 2120. The airplane departed Unalaska without filing a flight plan.

The U.S. Coast Guard received an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal in the Unalaska area about 2300. A search helicopter was unable to reach the area of the signal due to low clouds.

On January 24, Unalaska personnel continued to search for the location of the ELT signal on the island of Unalaska. About 1300, the wreckage of an airplane was spotted on a 309 degree magnetic bearing from the airport, about 1,500 feet msl, on the side of a volcanic cinder cone at Eider Point. At 1418, a Coast Guard helicopter spotted the wreckage of a large silver-colored airplane resting on the side of snow-covered terrain, but was unable to land due to the steepness of the terrain. Also on January 24, a witness telephoned the Unalaska DPS to report having seen a fire on the side of the cinder cone, about 2145 on January 23. At the time the witness called, the airplane had not yet been reported overdue.

A crewman aboard a vessel anchored in Unalaska Bay, telephoned the Unalaska DPS on January 24, and reported he saw the accident airplane depart from the airport on the night of the 23, and fly over the bay. He said he thought the starboard engine was producing blue spark or flash. He said he did not see the entire departure, and was unaware the airplane had crashed until news of the accident became known.

On January 24, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) was notified by the FAA that the accident airplane was officially reported overdue at 1448 by a friend of the captain.

High winds and blowing snow prevented search and rescue personnel from reaching the accident site until January 26, 2001. By that time, the tail section of the airplane had separated from the crash scene, and slid downhill, coming to rest about 500 feet msl.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

Captain

The captain was the president and the director of operations for the company. He held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane multiengine land rating, and a type rating for Douglas DC-3 airplanes. He also held commercial pilot privileges with single-engine land and sea ratings. The most recent first-class medical certificate was issued to the pilot on June 3, 2000, and contained the limitation that he wear corrective lenses.

No personal flight records were located for the pilot, and the aeronautical experience listed on page 3 of this report was obtained from a review of airmen FAA records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center located in Oklahoma City. On the pilot's application for medical certificate, dated June 3, 2000, the pilot indicated that his total aeronautical experience consisted of 15,000 hours, of which 300 were accrued in the previous 6 months.

Review of available company records indicated the captain attended DC-3 initial ground training, conducted by ERA Aviation Inc., Anchorage, April 17 to 18, 1997. He began company operations on July 1, 1997, and completed initial company new-hire training on July 21, 1997. A review of a pilot resume' from 1997 and 1998, indicated the captain had accrued about 15,000 hours of flight time, 5,000 of night, 2,000 of actual instrument, 50 of simulated instrument.

A review of the captain's medical records, on file with the FAA's airman branch, revealed the captain was convicted in December, 1985, for conspiracy and distribution of cocaine, and sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, with 6 years suspended. The pilot was released after serving 49 months. The FAA moved to revoke the captain's commercial pilot certificate on November 2, 1989, by sending him a notice of proposed certificate action. The pilot applied for a medical certificate on February 6, 1990, which the FAA evaluated on December 13, 1990. The FAA indicated the pilot needed to submit evidence of recovery from drug dependence, including sustained abstinence from drug dependence for not less than the preceding two years. The pilot submitted testimonial evidence and psychological evaluations to the FAA. On April 29, 1991, the FAA sent the pilot an amended Order of Suspension which ordered a six month suspension of any airman certificate, but the imposition of the suspension was waived, "given the pilot's substantial progress towards rehabilitation following your criminal convictions." On October 21, 1991, following a review of his postincarceration history, the FAA determined the pilot was eligible for a first class medical certificate that he had applied for on March 26, 1991. Since that time, FAA medical records do not contain any reports of monitoring for substance abuse.

A review of FAA records indicated the captain was involved in an aviation accident on May 24, 1998, during which a Galaxy Air Cargo DC-3 airplane ran out of gas while landing at Anchorage. A postaccident drug test of the captain was negative. The FAA suspended the captain's pilot certificate for 45 days.

The captain was involved in another aviation accident on July 31, 1998, when the tailwheel and fuselage of a Galaxy Air Cargo DC-3 airplane received damage while landing at Anchorage. No postaccident drug test was conducted.

As part of the Department of Transportation's Drug Abatement Program, the captain received a random drug test in June 2000. The results were negative.

First Officer

The first officer held an airline transport pilot certificate with a multiengine rating, and a DC-3 type rating. She held commercial pilot privileges with an airplane single-engine rating. In addition, she held a flight instructor certific...