NTSB report describes moments before fatal midair plane collision over Susitna River

Investigators released an initial report Thursday describing what is known so far about a midair plane collision above a Southcentral Alaska river that left one pilot dead last week.

The report, released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday morning, describes the moments leading up to the midair collision, including the surviving pilot's first glimpse of danger: The shadow of an airplane converging with the shadow of his own aircraft just before the crash.

The deceased pilot, James Poelman, 56, of Wasilla, was remembered last week as a talented flight instructor. Investigators had recovered only pieces of the plane he was flying from the silt-laden waters of the Susitna River, the aircraft's recovery hindered by its precarious crash location.

[Alaska pilot killed in midair crash remembered as respected flight instructor]

Poelman was making a commercial flight for Anchorage-based company Spernak Airways when, just after noon June 13, his Cessna 207 collided with surviving pilot Bruce Markwood's Cessna 175.

Each pilot was the sole person on board.

'Alarmed, he looked forward'

Poelman had left Merrill Field at 12 p.m., heading to Tyonek with about 250 pounds of cargo on board, the report said. As a commercial operator, he had filed a flight plan with the FAA as required, said Clint Johnson, Alaska region chief of the NTSB.

Markwood, 53, of Anchorage, was returning from a "remote fish camp," which he had departed around 11:26 a.m., the report said. He had not filed a flight plan with the FAA, which was not required for what he was doing, Johnson said.

The area where the collision took place – described as a congested spot during Alaska's busy summer aviation season – is about 20 miles west of Anchorage, near where the Susitna River drains into Cook Inlet.

At the time of the crash, the closest weather station, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, reported visibility as about 11 miles, eastward winds at about 6 mph, temperature at 55 degrees, and only a few clouds below 10,000 feet, the report said.

Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, meaning that the pilots could see, Johnson said.

Markwood told investigators that, before the crash, he was at an altitude of about 1,000 feet when he began talking to a Piper Super Cub pilot who was passing by in the opposite direction. They started talking on a radio frequency to ensure they were far enough apart, a common practice, Johnson said.

Markwood told investigators that as he watched the Super Cub pass below his Cessna, he noticed the shadow of an airplane converging with the shadow of his own aircraft.

"Alarmed, he looked forward and saw the spinner of the converging airplane in his windscreen," the report said.

Markwood pulled the control yoke toward him, causing his airplane to climb steeply right before the collision, he told investigators. His left landing gear was sheared off in the accident.

FAA radar showed two targets, believed to be the two planes, converging from opposite directions at about 1,000 feet altitude, the report said.

About a minute before the accident, the plane believed to be Poelman's descended to about 874 feet altitude, then climbed to 900 feet before the two planes appeared to merge on radar data, the report said. Markwood's plane stayed at 1,000 feet throughout, until he made a quick climb, radar showed.

'A very precarious spot'

After the collision, Poelman's plane "descended uncontrolled" into the Susitna River, the report said. At 12:05 p.m., the plane believed to be Poelman's disappeared from FAA radar data.

Markwood made multiple passes over the wreckage, trying to assess the situation and mark the location, the report said.

Two other pilots in the area helped, too. One landed at Poelman's crash site, where he was found dead. A second pilot accompanied Markwood back to Anchorage.

When Markwood got back to Anchorage, he made an emergency landing on one wheel at the airstrip next to Lake Hood as air traffic controllers helped him land, according to audio from Lake Hood's air traffic control tower.

Markwood walked away physically unharmed, officials said.

['I'm starting to lose this airplane': One pilot lands safely, another dies after collision]

Poelman's body was recovered from the plane the day of the crash. An initial flyover showed the plane was inverted and partially submerged in the water, the report said.

Crews were able to recover a large part of the plane's fuselage, portions of both wings, and the tail section of the plane, Johnson said. The Cessna's left main gear leg and other debris was found on the east bank of the river, about 1,400 feet east of the main wreckage, the report said.

The plane's recovery was complicated by the fact that the plane crashed in an area of silt-laden water with a strong tidal pull. Johnson said investigators don't anticipate recovery of any other parts of the aircraft.

"It was in a very precarious spot," Johnson said.

Johnson said it was far too early to comment on other information and details, such as the radio frequency Poelman was using. FAA radar data was also preliminary, Johnson said. "They're going to be drilling down into that data at a later date."

Now, the Cessna 175 and the parts recovered of the Cessna 207 will both be deconstructed and rebuilt in a secure location in Wasilla, Johnson said, as investigators try to learn exactly how the aircraft came together, using clues like paint transfers and crush lines.

The NTSB's full and final report is expected to be released in about a year.