The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on last month’s plane crash in Seldovia that killed all four people on board.
Investigators say the Piper PA-24 took off from Merrill Field in Anchorage on Aug. 26 on a day flight to Seldovia and crashed while trying to land that afternoon. The flight was not a charter but was privately operated, according to the report.
NTSB Aviation Accident Investigator Millicent Hill said they are still looking into what happened and have not determined a cause for the crash.
“They'll look at the airframe and the engine and then the pilot's records, training and experience,” Hill said.
According to the report, a witness at the Seldovia airport told investigators he heard the plane come in fast. He described two hard bounces, then saw a third bounce on the nosewheel before the engine surged to full throttle and the plane pitched up sharply.
A second witness saw the plane fly low past the end of the runway. He said it had been trying to land in the opposite direction from other air traffic that day.
Multiple witnesses also said the plane then struck a tree and went down in Seldovia Slough, according to the report. The report notes Seldovia’s runway is gravel and runs just over 1,800 feet long, with tall trees near both approaches.
The weather was clear at the time, with light wind out of the north-northeast.
The NTSB will lead a detailed wreckage examination, with representatives from Piper Aircraft and the Federal Aviation Administration also taking part.
Alaska State Troopers previously identified those killed as pilot Eric Middlebrook of Anchorage and passengers Ronald Schmidt, Lance Schmidt and Daniel Simons, all of California.
