Plane Crash 9 Killed - Tour Out of Ketchikan
This is a tragedy. Tour Plane Crash
Forum Discussion
As joe says, this will likely be ultimately logged as "Pilot Error".....and since the pilot hit the starter and was at the controls, perhaps that's the most "factual".
I have less time than did the pilot in Ketchikan, but I'm always concerned with local knowledge when even exceptionally competent pilots are brought in for the summer...particularly if their home location is not as prone to the fog, mists, and winds as is Southeast AK. At my favorite strip (relatively close to Los Anchorage) I won't depart if there (as there often is) a patch of fog over the slough...regardless of what Palmer is reporting for weather, or Sheep Mountain or Eureka or XXX. Since I've been flying into that strip since 1982, I know that if I see that patch of fog, I know that I will likely have to count on flying well South of Palmer to get past the fog (even if there is still plenty of room below it) and that all of my bailout locations will be covered if the takeoff goes bad, so I don't do it. I've received some accusations of being lily-livered, but what's the point of a personal rule if you don't follow it.
Long way of saying that even the best pilot can be caught by a combination of disorientation, rapid weather changes and the like. Still a tragedy, no matter what.
I have less time than did the pilot in Ketchikan, but I'm always concerned with local knowledge when even exceptionally competent pilots are brought in for the summer...particularly if their home location is not as prone to the fog, mists, and winds as is Southeast AK. At my favorite strip (relatively close to Los Anchorage) I won't depart if there (as there often is) a patch of fog over the slough...regardless of what Palmer is reporting for weather, or Sheep Mountain or Eureka or XXX. Since I've been flying into that strip since 1982, I know that if I see that patch of fog, I know that I will likely have to count on flying well South of Palmer to get past the fog (even if there is still plenty of room below it) and that all of my bailout locations will be covered if the takeoff goes bad, so I don't do it. I've received some accusations of being lily-livered, but what's the point of a personal rule if you don't follow it.
Long way of saying that even the best pilot can be caught by a combination of disorientation, rapid weather changes and the like. Still a tragedy, no matter what.
