Investigators examine wreckage of fatal plane crash near McGrath

Investigators looking into the cause of a fatal plane crash last month near McGrath have recovered the wreckage and will soon examine it for evidence of mechanical problems.

The head of the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska office said investigators are preparing a detailed analysis of the wreckage of the single-engine plane that crashed in a remote mountainous region about 60 miles south of McGrath.

“We are currently planning the investigation to bring everyone involved here at the same time and examine the wreckage. We want to see if we can find any mechanical defects that could have led to this tragic accident,” said Clint Johnson, head of the NTSB Alaska.

Johnson expects investigators to begin that phase of the case in the next few weeks. The badly damaged Piper PA-18 Super Cub, stored in a hangar in Wasilla, belonged to 58-year-old Cary Foster, the Anchorage-based pilot who died from injuries sustained in the crash.

“This pilot was well known in the aviation community and had a lot of experience,” said Johnson. “We will look into this wealth of experience in more detail as part of the investigation.”

Investigators are also examining weather conditions in the area where Foster attempted to land so he could unload supplies for a hunting guide. A preliminary NTSB report dated Sept. 11 describes the area as the top of a mountain ridge about 2,500 feet high.

“He has been on this site many, many times”

Johnson said Foster knows the area very well.

“Friends of the pilot and people who worked with him have told us that he has been to this location many, many times,” Johnson said, adding that this was the first time this year that Foster had been back to the location.

The preliminary report states that the hunting guide told investigators that a northeast wind was blowing at a speed of about 24 km/h and that visibility in the area was good.

“Fifteen miles an hour isn't too bad,” Johnson said. “However, the winds around the mountains could change things – updrafts, downdrafts, crosswinds, whatever. That's a little more unpredictable.”

According to the NTSB report, the guide told investigators he saw Foster fly over his camp several times to determine wind direction and landing conditions. Then, on what appeared to be a final approach, the guide lost sight of Foster's plane but heard him twice revving the engine as if trying to gain altitude.

“A terrible ordeal”

About 30 seconds later, the tour guide heard the plane hit the ground.

“He didn't see the actual impact,” Johnson said. “But he saw the plane coming in, saw it nose down, heard the impact and then immediately ran toward it.”

The preliminary report states that when the guide arrived at the crash site a few minutes later, he found Foster unconscious. He died shortly afterwards.

A team from the Alaska National Guard Rescue Coordination Center arrived by helicopter later that day and transported his body to Anchorage, where it was transferred to the state medical examiner's office.

Johnson said the tour guide and Foster's many other friends were devastated when they learned of the fatal crash.

“These guys were very, very good friends and unfortunately it was a terrible ordeal that they had to go through,” he said.

The investigation is still in its early stages, Johnson said, adding that it will take months for the NTSB to issue a final report.