N46326Cessna 152 · 1978

On April 16, 2009, about 1730 Alaska daylight time, a ski-equipped Cessna 152 airplane, N46326, sustained substantial damage during an uncontrolled descent and impact with terrain, about 60 miles west-northwest of Talkeetna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules personal local flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private pilot and sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on April 17, the pilot said he made a low pass, about 100 feet above the ground, over the mountain climber's base camp on Mt. McKinley, on the Kahiltna Glacier, elevation about 7,200 feet. He said he made the pass with full flaps, about 65 knots of airspeed, and when he retracted the flaps, the airplane descended into the snow. He said with full power he was unable to arrest the descent. The pilot said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident, and that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage during the impact.