Remarks:
The wind direction shifted from east to south while the crew were
preparing to land at Runway 08. The captain decided to initiate a
landing on Runway 26. The sinkrate during the approach became
unsatisfactory and a go around was attempted. The aircraft was in a
right turn at 150 ft (46 m) when the plane settled and crashed in the
Chuckchi Sea, 300 yd (274 m) from the runway. Both pilots survived the
impact, but one of them drowned in the 27° F (-2° C) water. Downdrafts in
the area north of the runway probably caused the plane to settle.
Downdrafts were known to exist when the wind is southerly. The
phenomena is caused by high terrain surrounding the strip on all
sides except the north. PROBABLE CAUSE: "An uncontrollable loss
of altitude caused by adverse wind conditions during an attempted
go-around."
