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The NTSB has released the factual report for the Feb.&nbsp;6, 2020, crash of Yute Commuter Service Flight 1002, which killed all five on board. While the NTSB has yet to issue a&nbsp;probable cause, the factual report&nbsp;implies&nbsp;that&nbsp;poor visibility played a role in the single-engine Piper PA-32R&nbsp;hitting&nbsp;terrain 12 miles west of Tuntutuliak, Alaska.&nbsp;

 


Yute is a VFR-only Part 135 commuter airline based in Bethel, Alaska. According to the report, which was accompanied by a docket including 264 pages of interviews with company personnel and a detailed weather study, Flight 1002 departed Bethel at 10:40 a.m. under special VFR for the villages of Kipnuk and Chefornak. The forecast cited IFR conditions “with occasional visibility below three&nbsp;miles in light snow and mist.”

 


The accident occurred at about 11:10 a.m.—30 minutes after departure. At 10:43 a.m., Bethel, about 50 miles from the crash site, reported 600 feet overcast, 1.25 miles visibility, unknown precipitation, and mist. At 11:05 a.m.,&nbsp;it was 500 feet overcast with three miles visibility.

 


Kipnuk, about 39 miles from the accident site, reported 600 feet overcast with light snow&nbsp;with nine miles visibility at 10:56 a.m.&nbsp;Within an hour of the crash, conditions deteriorated at both airports, with ceilings down to 400 feet and visibility as low as a half mile with light snow, mist, and freezing fog.

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