Alaska

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    3 Killed, 7 Injured as Plane Crashes in Alaska

    crashA small floatplane plane crashed north of Iliamna Airport in Iliamna, Alaska, on September 15.

    The DeHavilland DHC-3T Turbine Otter aircraft, carrying 10 people, went down while it was taking off from East Wind Lake.

    Three people were killed in the accident. They were identified as 80-year-old Tony W. Degroot, of Hanford, California, 69-year-old James Specter, of Shavertown, Pennsylvania and 70-year-old James P. Fletcher, of Clovis, California.

    Seven others were injured and were shifted to hospitals.

    The plane belonged to Rainbow King Lodge.

    The NTSB is investigating.

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    Cathay Pacific Plane Diverts to US Military Airport in Alaska

    Cathay PacificCathay Pacific flight CX884 had to divert and make an emergency landing at a U.S. military airport in Shemya, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, on July 29.

    The Boeing Co 777-300ER, en-route from Hong Kong, China, to Los Angeles, California, had to be diverted after it was filled with smoke.

    The plane landed uneventfully. All 276 passengers and 18 crew members remained safe.

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    Wings of Alaska Plane Crashed in Juneau, Pilot Dead

    wings of alaskaWings of Alaska flight 202 crashed on a hillside, north of Point Howard, in Southeast Alaska, on July 17.

    The Cessna 207 was flying from Juneau to Hoonah when it went down.

    The pilot, identified as Fariah Patterson, 45, lost his life in the crash, while all 4 passengers survived with injuries. Alaska State Troopers identified the passengers as Humberto Herrera, 57, his wife Sandra, 60, Jose Vasquez, 15, and Ernestine Hanlon-Able, 64.

    The NTSB is investigating the cause of the accident.

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    Cessna Makes Emergency Landing on Mudflats near Anchorage

    A Cessna 180 float plane made an emergency landing on mudflats close to the Birchwood Airport near Anchorage, Alaska, on the afternoon of July 5.

    The pilot decided to land in emergency after the plane lost its power.

    The plane was en-route to Fire Lakes in Eagle River, Anchorage, from Katie Lake in Matanuska-Susitna Valley at the time.

    The pilot, who was the only person aboard, remained safe.

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    9 Killed as Sightseeing Plane Crashes in Alaska

    A sightseeing plane crashed into a cliff near Ketchikan, Alaska, on June 25.

    The DeHavilland DHC-3T Otter aircraft was on a shore excursion from a Holland America Line cruise ship when it went down.

    Nine people were killed in the crash, including the pilot Bryan Krill, 64, of Hope, Idaho and 8 passengers.

    The deceased passengers had left Seattle on June 20 for a 7-day round trip on MS Westerdam cruise ship. They were identified as Hal Cheney, 71, of Lodi, California, Mary Doucette, 59, of Lodi, California, Glenda Cambiaso, 31, of North Potomac, Maryland, Hugo Cambiaso, 65, of North Potomac, Maryland, June Kranenburg, 73, of Medford, Oregon, Leonard Kranenburg, 63, of Medford, Oregon, Margie Apodaca, 63, of Sparks, Nevada and Raymond Apodaca, 70, of Sparks, Nevada.

    The cause of crash is under investigation.

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    Small Plane Ran Out of Fuel, Crashed near Port Alsworth

    A small plane crashed some 20 miles northwest of Port Alsworth, Alaska, on May 26.

    The plane was en-route to Port Alsworth when it ran out of fuel and went down. Alaska State Troopers located it Tuesday night through a personal locator beacon.

    There were 3 people aboard, including the pilot Mark McNeill, 61, and his passengers Rocky McElveen, 64 and Talon Heying, 24. All of them remained uninjured.

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    Delta Flight Diverts to Anchorage Due to Medical Emergency

    DeltaDelta airlines flight 284 had to make an unscheduled landing at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, on the morning of March 4.

    According to the airline, the Boeing 777-200LR was diverted “in response to a customer medical situation on board”. The flight was heading from Narita International Airport, Japan, to Los Angeles at the time.

    Delta confirmed in a statement, “The flight landed without incident and paramedics met the aircraft on arrival.”

    The plane later took off again and landed in Los Angeles with a 2-hour delay.

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    Plane Carrying Girls Volleyball Team Makes Rough Landing in Alaska

    A twin-engine Piper Navajo aircraft, carrying the girls volleyball team from Koliganek, Alaska, had to make a rough landing at King Salmon airport, Alaska, on December 10.

    The plane, transporting the volleyball team for state tournament in Anchorage, had to land in emergency after its landing gear got damaged during take-off from Koliganek.

    The aircrafts’ landing gear buckled after it touched the runway and skidded some 1,000 feet before coming to stop.

    All the passengers and crew members remained unharmed.

    Team’s Assistant coach Anastasia Ishnook said, “Our girls are really strong…They kept it together…The pilot was really nice…He said he was sorry it happened today but he couldn’t have had better passengers.”

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    Small Plane Lands in Emergency at Kalifornsky Beach Road

    A Taylorcraft BC-12 aircraft made an emergency landing on Kalifornsky Beach Road in Alaska, between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on November 16.

    According to Trooper spokesperson Megan Peters, the Soldotna-bound plane landed in emergency due to engine failure. “Essentially it had an emergency landing and then was able to get out of the road and into a parking lot,” she said.

    Clint Johnson, the NTSB’s chief Alaska investigator, confirmed that none of the 2 people aboard was injured.

    The plane was able to take off again next day.

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    Aircrafts Warned to Avoid Airspace near Pavlof Volcano

    On November 15, the National Weather Service warned the aircrafts to avoid airspace near erupting Pavlof Volcano in Alaska, which is spewing ash around 30,000 feet above sea level.

    The volcano began erupting lava from a vent near its summit a few days ago. On November 14, the ash cloud was recorded at 16,000 feet. Dave Schneider from the Alaska Volcano Observatory said that the eruption became more intense at 6 a.m. on November 15, further rising the ash cloud.

    According to Schneider, the eruption can last for several weeks or months with fluctuations in intensity.

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    4 Injured as Navion Aircraft Crashed in Alaska

    Atigun Pass

    A single engine Navion aircraft crashed near the summit of Atigun Pass in northern Alaska, before 1:45 p.m. on August 24.

    Clint Johnson, the NTSB Alaska Region chief, said on Monday, “Four individuals on board, injuries ranged from serious to critical, and they were medevaced last night.” Johnson said the initial information revealed that the pilot was taking his 3 passengers on a cruise flight from Fairbanks to Bettles, Deadhorse, Barter Island and then back to Fairbanks. The authorities believe that the passengers were from Canada.

    The cause of crash is not known at the moment. “Whenever the pilot’s health allows, we want to be able to talk to him to get it first-hand what exactly took place. However his injuries are probably not going to allow us to do that for probably the next couple of days,” Johnson said.

    The NTSB is investigating.

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    Plane Crash at Anchorage’s Merrill Field Airport Kills Pilot

    UntitledA 1964 Piper PA-12 plane crashed during takeoff from the runway 7/25 of Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, at about 8:24 a.m. on July 2.

    The pilot identified as Charles Hancock, 61, died in the crash. The NTSB investigator Cathy Gagne confirmed that he was the only person aboard the aircraft and had made contact with the Merrill Field tower before the plane crashed.

    The police and Anchorage fire department responded to the scene.

    According to eye witnesses, the plane was airborne before it crashed nose-down.

    All runways at the airport were closed following the crash. They were later re-opened after removing the plane by 11 a.m.

    Hancock was the owner and operator of a urethane insulation contractor, AIC Foam and Coatings.

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    2nd Alaska Crash: Piper Strands 5 on Glacier

    What: PA-32 sight-seeing in Alaska
    Where: Knik Glacier, about 113km northeast of Anchorage
    When: Sunday August 8, 2010 1 pm
    Who: pilot, Donald Erbey, 49 and 4 friends
    Why: Erbey had taken Texas friends sightseeing in his small family Piper 32. When he realized he was flying into bad weather, he turned to head back, “hit a downdraft” and crashed in a snowbank, leaving them stranded since Sunday on Knik Glacier, Alaska.

    Monday evening, highly trained pararescuers—Maj. Jesse Peterson, Master Sgt. Al Lankford, Tech. Sgt. Chris Uriarte and Tech. Sgt. Angel Santana—braved a 4 mile trek to walk in food and supplies. The plane’s locator beacon was operable.

    Helicopters with additional supplies and support are in the area but weather conditions have not permitted drops or a rescue. They have adequate resources to wait till weather clears enough for helicopters to land as hiking out is a last resort.

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    Otter Crash in Alaska, 8 Aboard, Survivors


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer John Olafson

    What: GCI Communication Corp de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Texas Turbine Super O en route to Agulowak Lodge near Lake Aleknagik, Alaska
    Where: 20 miles north of Dillingham, AK
    When: August 9, 2010
    Who: 8 aboard
    Why: The 1957 DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter owned by GCI Communication Corp crashed on encountering weather. After the wreckage was discovered, two National Guard rescue teams in helicopters were dispatched but they could not handle the weather and their arrival was (expected to be) delayed until after midnight.

    A volunteer team on the ground was assisting rescue efforts and a doctor is on the scene. Half of those aboard the plane survived. Former Sen. Ted Stevens was aboard the plane.

  • Alaska Crash Passenger found

    What: Super Cub en route to a destination 40 miles east of Talkeetna
    Where: Talkeetna Alaska
    When: The plane crashed Wednesday afternoon. Dinello’s body was found at the crash site Thursday, and the search cancelled due to weather.; The passenger (a hunter) was found on Friday five miles from the crash site. He was suffering from hypothermia, an ankle injury and burns to his legs and arms.
    Who: 48-year-old Big Lake pilot Frank Dinello
    Why: Crash is under investigation.