Beech 95-B55 accident near Cantwell, Alaska, June 28, 2013
On June 28, 2013 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N5JG, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Cantwell, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 2013 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Cantwell, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N5JG · no longer on the register · serial TC-1725
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident pilot was the organizer of 18 airplanes participating in a group sight-seeing tour of remote Alaskan locations. The 18 airplanes were divided into two groups, and each group had a leader. The accident airplane served as a separate leader for the entire group and departed about 10 minutes before the other two groups to make arrangements at their next destination and to check weather along their intended route of flight, which took them through a mountain pass. One of the group leader pilots reported that, as he approached the mountain pass, weather conditions began to deteriorate with low clouds, haze, and restricted visibility. He subsequently received a radio broadcast from another airplane in the area, which indicated that the mountain pass was not open due to poor weather conditions, so he chose to land his group at a nearby airport. The other group leader pilot stated that, after hearing that the first group was going to land at the nearby airport, he also chose to land his group there. The accident airplane's fragmented wreckage was discovered near the summit of the mountain pass in an area of brush and tundra-covered terrain at an elevation of about 2,370 feet mean sea level near the area where the second group leader turned around. A pilot-rated witness standing on the ground about the time of the accident stated that he observed an airplane flying in and out of the clouds at an altitude of about 400 feet above ground level (agl). Weather at the time of the accident was broken clouds about 250 to 300 feet agl, overcast clouds about 350 feet agl, with thin wispy fog hanging in the trees. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engines revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Given the lack of mechanical anomalies, the reported weather conditions, the two group leader pilot statements, and the witness statement, it is likely that the accident pilot continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,900 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 13, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all
- Last flight review: September 1, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,805 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor IO-520SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor IO-520SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PAFA Fairbanks AK
- Destination: Homer AK
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N5JG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.