18 Dec 20128:15 reconstruction914 views

Cargo pilot Trapped Between Mountains, Icing & Violent Downdrafts | Fatal Loss of Control

Timeline

DEPARTURE

N62959 departed Phoenix on the cargo flight in December 2012.

DEVELOPING

The aircraft encountered mountainous terrain and deteriorating weather during the flight.

DECISION / RESPONSE

Icing and strong vertical air movement complicated the aircraft's ability to maintain a stable flightpath.

EMERGENCY

The pilot attempted to manage the changing conditions while continuing toward the planned operation.

FINAL SEQUENCE

The aircraft lost control in the mountainous environment and crashed.

OUTCOME

The investigation examined weather, aircraft performance and the sequence leading to the fatal loss of control.

Accident facts and aircraft context

On December 18, 2012, Ameriflight Flight 3853, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain (N62959), departed Holbrook, Arizona, on a routine cargo flight bound for Phoenix.

What began as a normal evening operation soon turned into a deadly battle against mountain weather, icing conditions, and severe downdrafts over the rugged terrain near Payson, Arizona.

Flight sequence and key events

As the pilot descended under IFR clearance, he reported experiencing heavy up and downdrafts while flying through mountainous terrain at night.

Despite immediate search efforts involving multiple aircraft and air traffic controllers, the cargo plane disappeared into the darkness and crashed in a near-vertical impact, killing the pilot.

Investigation findings

The NTSB investigation found that the aircraft encountered strong mountain wave activity, severe vertical air currents, and icing conditions likely involving supercooled large droplets (SLD).

Investigators also examined the possible effects of airframe icing, unreliable airspeed indications, turbulence, and increased pilot workload during the final minutes of the flight.

The NTSB final report records that the pilot had recently transitioned from a Beechcraft BE-99 back to the PA-31 and had flown only about 11 hours in the PA-31 after that transfer. The aircraft was not equipped with weather radar or GPS, and the investigation could not verify whether supplemental oxygen was present or used.

The investigation also considered unreliable airspeed indications if pitot heat was not operating, autopilot use in strong vertical currents, and the additional workload created by altitude corrections. These were investigative possibilities considered in the report; they are not converted here into a stronger causal claim than What the Records Show supports.

How the event developed

The aircraft encountered strong mountain-wave activity, severe vertical air currents and icing while operating at night. The pilot was unable to maintain control in those conditions.

Incident date: On December 18, 2012, Ameriflight Flight 3853, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftai
Aircraft / registration: Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain — N62959
Investigation status: Public accident record / investigation material

Sources

This is a source-based reconstruction using the incident record, investigation material and publicly available ATC/operational records identified in the Sources section.