2010 Alaska Turbo Otter crash
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Alaska Turbine Otter crash was a fatal accident
that occurred on August 9, 2010, when a privately operated amphibious
floatplane
crashed near Aleknagik, Alaska
, killing five of the nine passengers and crew. The fatalities included former United States Senator for Alaska Ted Stevens
, while the survivors included former Administrator of NASA and current CEO of EADS
North America, Sean O'Keefe
, and his son. The aircraft, a de Havilland Canada
single-engined turboprop
-driven DHC-3T Turbo-Otter
registered to General Communication Inc., crashed on a mountainside while on a flight between two fishing lodges. Stevens and O'Keefe had been on a fishing trip when their airplane was reported overdue. The wreckage was quickly located after an aerial search, but rescue efforts were hampered by poor weather. The cause of the crash is unknown.
), 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Aleknagik. After it was reported that the aircraft had not landed as scheduled, other pilots launched a search and located the wreckage on a 40-degree slope in the mountainous Dillingham region
. The flight was being conducted under visual flight rules
and was not monitored by radar
at the time of the accident, since there is no such coverage in the area under 4000 feet. Other pilots who had flown in the same area during the course of the day described weather conditions in the region as "very bad" with visibility at times being less than 1 miles (1.6 km).
Early in the morning as the Alaska Air National Guard
arrived at the scene, also by helicopter, the first responders assisted rescuers in navigating to the site with rain and fog in the area hampering rescue and recovery efforts.
U.S. Coast Guard assets from Air Station Kodiak were also launched. An MH-60J Jayhawk helicopter crew arrived on scene and deployed their rescue swimmer to the crash site to assist Air National Guard pararescuemen in extricating and treating patients for transport to medical care. Survivors were hoisted into and transported to Dillingham in both the Air National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters. The crew was met in Dillingham by an HC-130H Hercules aircraft and crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. They embarked and transported several patients including Mr. O'Keffe's son William. The aircrew also transported two Air National Guard pararescuemen so they could continue work on and monitor the medical conditions of the survivors. Due to the nature of the survivor's injuries the cabin could not be pressurized and the aircrew flew at a lower altitude. All patients were delivered to awaiting EMS in Anchorage at Kulis Air National Guard Base.
A spokesperson for the Alaska National Guard said that rescuers were giving medical aid to survivors of the crash, and that three survivors were being airlifted to Providence Alaska Medical Center
in Anchorage. Upon examination of the wreckage it was discovered that the ELT antenna had separated from the ELT housing on impact, thus disabling the emergency signal.
Ted Stevens
. He had served as a Republican Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009. Also among the fatalities were a GCI executive and her 16 year old daughter. Among the survivors were former NASA
Administrator Sean O'Keefe
and his teenage son, who both sustained non-life threatening injuries but were listed in critical and serious conditions respectively the night after the crash. O'Keefe sustained leg and neck injuries, and his teeth were broken.
Stevens and O'Keefe had been fishing together before, and had been planning a fishing trip to a site near Dillingham at the time of the crash. Stevens had survived a crash at Anchorage International Airport in 1978 that killed his first wife. Pilot Theron "Terry" Smith, who also died, had lost his son in law in another plane crash less than two weeks before.
Also among the dead was one of Stevens' former staff members, Bill Phillips. His youngest son, Willy, was seriously injured, and had to spend the night at the crash site with his dead father.
(NTSB) sent a team to the site of the accident to investigate the cause of the crash. The team returned an inconclusive report in May, 2011. They speculated that the pilot, a recovered stroke victim, may have fallen asleep or had a seizure but there was no direct evidence to support these theories. The report was critical of the FAA's re-certification process, stating:
The report went on to note that the plane was equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System
, but that the pilot had elected to fly with the system turned off. Because much of Alaska's terrain is highly variable bush pilots will often de-activate the system as it issues many false warnings.
Aviation accidents and incidents
An aviation accident is defined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, in which a...
that occurred on August 9, 2010, when a privately operated amphibious
Amphibious aircraft
An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft that can take off and land on either land or water. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes that are equipped with retractable wheels, at the expense of extra weight and complexity, plus diminished range and fuel economy compared to planes...
floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
crashed near Aleknagik, Alaska
Aleknagik, Alaska
Aleknagik is a second class city in the Dillingham Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 221 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, killing five of the nine passengers and crew. The fatalities included former United States Senator for Alaska Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
, while the survivors included former Administrator of NASA and current CEO of EADS
EADS
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...
North America, Sean O'Keefe
Sean O'Keefe
Sean O'Keefe is the CEO of EADS North America, a subsidiary of the European aerospace firm EADS, a former Administrator of NASA, and former chancellor of Louisiana State University . O'Keefe is also a former member of the board of directors of DuPont...
, and his son. The aircraft, a de Havilland Canada
De Havilland Canada
The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. company was an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
single-engined turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
-driven DHC-3T Turbo-Otter
De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and highly successful Beaver, but was overall a larger aircraft.-Design and...
registered to General Communication Inc., crashed on a mountainside while on a flight between two fishing lodges. Stevens and O'Keefe had been on a fishing trip when their airplane was reported overdue. The wreckage was quickly located after an aerial search, but rescue efforts were hampered by poor weather. The cause of the crash is unknown.
Accident
The floatplane crashed at around 2:30pm Alaska Daylight Time (UTC-8UTC-8
UTC−08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −08. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Canada**Northwest Territories***Tungsten and the associated Cantung Mine*Mexico...
), 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Aleknagik. After it was reported that the aircraft had not landed as scheduled, other pilots launched a search and located the wreckage on a 40-degree slope in the mountainous Dillingham region
Dillingham Census Area, Alaska
Dillingham Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 4,922. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat...
. The flight was being conducted under visual flight rules
Visual flight rules
Visual flight rules are a set of regulations which allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better than basic VFR weather minimums, as specified in the rules of the...
and was not monitored by radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
at the time of the accident, since there is no such coverage in the area under 4000 feet. Other pilots who had flown in the same area during the course of the day described weather conditions in the region as "very bad" with visibility at times being less than 1 miles (1.6 km).
Rescue efforts
Local responders were on the mountain within a half hour of the plane being located around 6:30pm. A doctor, and a handful of local responders were dropped off by helicopter the same day and spent the night providing aid to crash survivors.Early in the morning as the Alaska Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
arrived at the scene, also by helicopter, the first responders assisted rescuers in navigating to the site with rain and fog in the area hampering rescue and recovery efforts.
U.S. Coast Guard assets from Air Station Kodiak were also launched. An MH-60J Jayhawk helicopter crew arrived on scene and deployed their rescue swimmer to the crash site to assist Air National Guard pararescuemen in extricating and treating patients for transport to medical care. Survivors were hoisted into and transported to Dillingham in both the Air National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters. The crew was met in Dillingham by an HC-130H Hercules aircraft and crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. They embarked and transported several patients including Mr. O'Keffe's son William. The aircrew also transported two Air National Guard pararescuemen so they could continue work on and monitor the medical conditions of the survivors. Due to the nature of the survivor's injuries the cabin could not be pressurized and the aircrew flew at a lower altitude. All patients were delivered to awaiting EMS in Anchorage at Kulis Air National Guard Base.
A spokesperson for the Alaska National Guard said that rescuers were giving medical aid to survivors of the crash, and that three survivors were being airlifted to Providence Alaska Medical Center
Providence Alaska Medical Center
Providence Alaska Medical Center is located at 3200 Providence Drive in Anchorage, Alaska, is Alaska's largest hospital, has 341 beds and more than 500 physicians on staff. It is a full-service facility, featuring the state's most advanced medical equipment and treatment systems available...
in Anchorage. Upon examination of the wreckage it was discovered that the ELT antenna had separated from the ELT housing on impact, thus disabling the emergency signal.
Passengers
The aircraft was carrying eight passengers and one pilot. Four of the passengers and the pilot died and two more were badly injured, with the last two suffering only minor injuries. Among the five fatalities was former U.S. SenatorUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
. He had served as a Republican Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009. Also among the fatalities were a GCI executive and her 16 year old daughter. Among the survivors were former NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Administrator Sean O'Keefe
Sean O'Keefe
Sean O'Keefe is the CEO of EADS North America, a subsidiary of the European aerospace firm EADS, a former Administrator of NASA, and former chancellor of Louisiana State University . O'Keefe is also a former member of the board of directors of DuPont...
and his teenage son, who both sustained non-life threatening injuries but were listed in critical and serious conditions respectively the night after the crash. O'Keefe sustained leg and neck injuries, and his teeth were broken.
Stevens and O'Keefe had been fishing together before, and had been planning a fishing trip to a site near Dillingham at the time of the crash. Stevens had survived a crash at Anchorage International Airport in 1978 that killed his first wife. Pilot Theron "Terry" Smith, who also died, had lost his son in law in another plane crash less than two weeks before.
Also among the dead was one of Stevens' former staff members, Bill Phillips. His youngest son, Willy, was seriously injured, and had to spend the night at the crash site with his dead father.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety BoardNational Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB) sent a team to the site of the accident to investigate the cause of the crash. The team returned an inconclusive report in May, 2011. They speculated that the pilot, a recovered stroke victim, may have fallen asleep or had a seizure but there was no direct evidence to support these theories. The report was critical of the FAA's re-certification process, stating:
The Federal Aviation Administration's internal guidance for medical certification of pilots following stroke is inadequate because it is conflicting and unclear, does not specifically address the risk of recurrence associated with such an event, and does not specifically recommend a neuropsychological evaluation (formal cognitive testing) to evaluate potential subtle cognitive impairment.
The report went on to note that the plane was equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System
Terrain awareness and warning system
A terrain awareness and warning system aims to prevent "Controlled Flight Into Terrain" accidents. The actual systems in current use are known as ground proximity warning system and enhanced GPWS. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration developed the TAWS term to encompass all current and...
, but that the pilot had elected to fly with the system turned off. Because much of Alaska's terrain is highly variable bush pilots will often de-activate the system as it issues many false warnings.
External links
- "Governor Remembers Victims of Plane Crash." Office of the Governor of Alaska