Investigators to examine wreckage of fatal plane crash near McGrath

The NTSB recovered Cary Foster’s Piper PA-18-150 airplane from nan clang tract 60 miles southbound of McGrath and transported it to a hangar successful Wasilla, wherever it’ll beryllium examined by investigators. (National Transportation Safety Board)

Investigators looking into nan origin of a fatal level clang past period adjacent McGrath person recovered nan wreckage and will soon statesman examining it for grounds of mechanical problems.

The main of nan National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska agency said that investigators are preparing to statesman a elaborate study of nan wrecked single-engine level that collapsed successful a distant mountainous area astir 60 miles southbound of McGrath.

“We’re conscionable scheduling that exam correct now, to get each nan parties up present astatine 1 constituent successful clip and laic hands connected nan wreckage and spot if we tin find thing mechanically incorrect that whitethorn person led to this tragic accident,” NTSB Alaska Chief Clint Johnson said.

Johnson expects investigators to statesman that shape of nan process successful nan adjacent mates of weeks. The heavy damaged Piper PA-18 Super Cub that’s stored successful a hangar successful Wasilla belonged to 58-year-old Cary Foster, nan Anchorage-based aviator who died of injuries he sustained successful nan crash.

“This aviator was good known successful nan aviation community, had tons of experience,” Johnson said. “We’re going to beryllium drilling down into that acquisition level during nan investigation.”

Investigators besides are studying upwind conditions astir nan area wherever Foster was trying to onshore truthful he could driblet disconnected supplies for a hunting guideline there. An NTSB preliminary study issued Sept. 11 described it arsenic nan apical of a ridge that’s astir 2,500 feet successful elevation.

‘He’d been into this tract many, galore times’

Johnson said that Foster was very acquainted pinch nan area.

“We’ve been told by friends of nan aviator and also, you know, folks that worked pinch him that he’d been into this tract many, galore times.” Johnson added that it was nan first clip Foster had been backmost to nan tract this year.

The preliminary study says that nan hunting guideline told investigators that winds retired of nan northeast were blowing astatine astir 15 miles per hour, and that visibility successful nan area was good.

“Fifteen miles an hr is not that bad,” Johnson said. “However, winds astir nan mountains could alteration things – updrafts, downdrafts, crosswinds, what person you. That’s a small spot much unpredictable.”

According to nan NTSB report, nan guideline told investigators that he saw Foster alert complete his campy respective times to find windspeed, direction, and landing conditions. Then, successful what appeared to beryllium a last approach, nan guideline mislaid show of Foster’s plane, but heard him rev his motor doubly for illustration he was trying to summation altitude.

‘A horrible ordeal’

About 30 seconds later, nan guideline heard nan level deed nan ground.

“He didn’t spot nan existent impact,” Johnson said. “So he saw nan airplane connected approach, saw it chemoreceptor down, heard nan crash, and past instantly started moving towards it.”

The preliminary study says that erstwhile nan guideline sewage to nan clang tract a fewer minutes later, he recovered Foster unconscious. He died soon thereafter.

An Alaska National Guard Rescue Coordination Center squad arrived by chopper later successful nan time and transported his assemblage backmost to Anchorage, wherever it was sent to nan State Medical Examiner’s Office.

Johnson said that nan guideline and Foster’s galore different friends were devastated to study astir nan fatal crash.

“These guys were very, very bully friends, and unluckily it was a horrible ordeal to spell through,” he said connected Sept. 12.

The investigation is still successful nan early stages, Johnson said, adding that it will return months earlier nan NTSB issues a last report.