All nine souls on board a sightseeing aircraft are dead, this after a Promech Air de Havilland DHC-3T (Turbine) Otter propjet crashed Thursday approximately 12:20 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time in the rugged reaches of southeast Alaska. In a prepared statement Promech says there were eight passengers and one pilot aboard the propjet, an aircraft type in widespread use in Alaska.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it was dispatching a ‘Go-Team’ to the scene from its Alaska Regional office. It’s headed by Investigator-In-Charge Brice Banning. The Safety Board says the single-engine aircraft went down some 25 miles northeast of Ketchikan, Promech Air’s home base. NTSB says the crash site is situated “in an area of steep, mountainous terrain.”
Clearly shaken by the crash, Promech Air says there are no survivors. Company president Marcus Sessoms says, “There is nothing that can alleviate the pain and overwhelming sense of loss those affected are feeling.”
According to Promech’s web site www.promechair.com/about/safety-our-aircraft/ the company calls the ten-passenger Turbine Otter, fitted with floats for water landings, “the cornerstone of our fleet.”
The air carrier goes on to say it’s the largest air taxi company in southeast Alaska. While touting its “can do” philosophy Promech adds, “Our rigorous maintenance program has resulted in an outstanding safety record. We have created a maintenance support program for our flight operations with the premise that all aircraft must meet or exceed the flight safety standards of our operating certificate and our own internal quality requirements.”
Alaska air taxi operators, charters and sightseeing outfits are acutely aware of public safety perceptions.
Too early to Know Precisely What Happened
It’s far too early to determine an official probably cause for the crash, but small aircraft accidents are nothing new to Alaska, where the weather can turn nasty fast and the terrain is as unforgiving as any on Planet Earth.
Case-in-point: the August 9, 2010 fatal crash of another single-engine de Havilland Otter, this time near Alenagik, Alaska. In the wake of that accident then NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said, “While aviation, especially general aviation, is a big part of life in Alaska, the risks of flying in Alaska are greater than in the continental U.S. There is unforgiving terrain — 39 mountain ranges with high peaks and deep gorges, and more than 100,000 glaciers. Then, there’s the challenging and rapidly changing weather conditions. Lastly, there are the uncontrolled airports, dirt strips, lakes and rivers that serve as regular landing spots.”
Passengers from Cruise Ship
Holland America Line, the popular cruise operator says, “the flight carried eight guests from ms Westerdam.” The aircraft was touring the Misty Fjords National Monument, an area Promech says is characterized by “Towering granite cliffs [and] 1,000-foot waterfalls.”
