Troopers: 2 die in Alaska plane crash; 4 survivors
By RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press Published: Aug 14, 2011 at 6:19 PM PDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Authorities say two people have died in a plane crash in the Alaska wilderness, and four others on board the small aircraft survived.

Alaska State Troopers earlier Sunday said four people died and two survived.

The deadly crash closely follows two midair collisions, including one that killed an Anchorage family of four.

Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen says the survivors were being flown to an Anchorage hospital.

Ipsen says the identities of the six on board the Inland Aviation Service were not being immediately released.

The single-engine Cessna 207 departed Saturday evening from the community of McGrath, about 225 miles northwest of Anchorage.

A pilot and Iditarod School District employees were among those on board were heading to the village of Anvik, which is about 140 miles to the west.

After canceling our flights to Holy Cross/Anvik/Grayling a second day in a row yesterday evening due to low ceilings, mist and sub-mile visibilities on the entire route, I couldn't believe the school called another outfit. When the pair of C207's rolled in, loaded up, and took off, there was no way to make it under VFR. It's a real shame and struck close to home. Just last winter I was in Anvik on a charter with standby time, and Julie invited me in the classroom to talk to the kids about flying...they lost a great teacher. I flew the new teachers and their two young children (the other 4 passengers, and survivors) from Anvik to McGrath just last week. All great people, though the pilot I hadn't met, I know he was a respected aviator in the region.

Gump did u know Ernie ?

http://www.adn.com/2011/08/14/2014871/t ... crash.html

Oh yeah, flew with Ernie at Yute long ago when I was doing punishment tour out of Bethel. I think he flew with just about every outfit out there over the years. Don't know enough to really say anything. Yet.

Gump

Unfortunately, what one would assume appears to be true.

http://www.adn.com/2011/08/15/2016671/p ... -with.html

Be careful out there.

Yeah, hard to figure. Ernie was a local and knows that country very well, every nook and cranny, and with Capstone and the moving map... No ice this time of year, so climb up and just go on the gauges. Shoulda been business as usual.

Gump

I'm not familiar with "Capstone" .... is that a version of synthetic vision?

The Chelton Flight Systems EFIS (which is the first synthetic vision ever certified) is on all the part 135 planes in Southeast. The one for this crash probably had just the MX20 moving map from Garmin if that. That project started in Bethel as a test area. After Capstone phase II, which was the Cheltons... they looked at cheaper products for the rest of the state. The Chelton was $100,000 per plane on average. That will probably make you feel warm and fuzzy around tax time. Most of the bush operators have a day VFR approval anyway. Not likely they will punch up into serious IFR and go along based on what the EFIS says. Getting back down would be real problematic in a lot of WX and rugged terrain surrounding the runways.
Anyway, this will turn out to be a scud running exercise in my opinion. All the other local pilots said hell no.... the one old and experienced guy says... I'll try. And try he did. You know the saddest part? The NTSB will be tramping around out there in fine weather. If they had only waited....

That C207 had phase I Capstone equipment in it. Apollo GPS and an MX20. We, and Ernie, were quite comfortable flying day, and night, VFR with it in IFR conditions. Once proficient and understanding the deficiencies, it was an amazing tool and would do magic stuff.

Not saying ANY of us would have ever busted minimums or an FAR... But in this case once he comitted to flying, he would have been hell of a lot safer bootleg IFR than scudrunning.

Though, like you say, smart thing would have been waiting it out. Especially with a load of schoolteachers. They are the absolute worse for snitching you off to the Feds.

Gump

Thread creep for Gump. I once attended a hearing by an administrative law judge, sent up from the lower 48 to see if the pilot should get his privilege back. The PAX, in the rear sling seat of the Beaver (which sits WAY lower than the pilot) said he flew through a cloud. This judged by a non-pilot looking left out a port hole window. Shit, it all looks like clouds from there.
Judge doesn't know a Beaver from a past girlfriend.... listens long and hard. Says the pilot busted the rules. No paycheck for a while. Beyond me.... what a crock to watch the process in action.

Amen. And I guarantee you tbat's why he was down there trying to stay under the crud. They beg you to come get them, then hose you when you do. Oh man do I have some pain in the ass teacher stories.

But... I don't know these folks, and I don't want to speak ill of any of tbem in this incident. Just speaking from personal experience.

Gump

I don't know any more than what I read here on this topic.....
..but-If he was a skilled flier in the past, there is the possibilities of various health issues that can/do affect judgment/reasoning. For instance Carotid artery narrowing reducing blood flow to the brain, or a small clot in just the wrong spot, or a bad bout of insomnia for a few nights running.
The list is long of things that could take a top notch autopsy to find-looking specifically for such items. Then there is the things that wouldn't show up like the insomnia, or mega stress with SO or offspring. Another possibility is distracting pain like a toothache that hurt more with alt. increase.....
LOTs of stuff.This is a guy who made a career out of dodging 'bullets' and made at least survivable decisions in one of the toughest flying environments in the world. NOT saying it wasn't that he drew 'one card too many' from the bad choices deck, but........
If it was me, I would like you to maybe withhold at least an 'ity-bity-tiny' possibility something MIGHT have stacked the deck against me and it MIGHT not have just been a straight out stupid/bad/fatal call or choice when I had the chance to sit it out.......

Just sayin'...
lc

Of course, just sayin' is right. Maybe we'll know more maybe we won't. But after flying lots of years and thousands of hours in that country and that specific airplane type I'm betting the gut feelings are fairly accurate.

Sad story no matter what the cause.

Gump

Was reading "Heroes of the Horizon" tonight. I'm about half way through it & one line really stood out which seems apropos,

There are really only two laws affecting flying: the law of averages and the law of gravity. If you keep pushing it, one of them is going to catch you.

Be safe out there.

P.S. Great book about some historic Alaskan flyers, I recommend it.

The Trooper pictures release on ADN and KTUU make it look like what some people here are guessing. I don't know the guy from Adam, but the pictures look like scud running to me...

http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-photo-gallery-mcgrath-plane-crash-20110816,0,2334114.photogallery

The Capstone equipment is a pretty sweet setup, but it could be a pilots downfall as well. It runs on the Windows NT system, and I've had the "blue screen of death" in marginal conditions, not far from where this wreck is located. The MX20 rebooted itself and in almost 2 minutes it was up and ready to go again. 2 minutes is a long time with low visiblity, and the airplane going somewhere, fast. Meanwhile I had to whip out the map and make sure I was over the river I thought I was, and follow that out towards the Innoko. It could be any number of things that brought about this accident, but I'll bet it wasn't any one mistake or problem, it was a series.

born2flyak wrote: but I'll bet it wasn't any one mistake or problem, it was a series.

Always is...

Gump

Condolences (once again..too often...) to family and friends... I miss flying the Soloy 207 with 400hp....that was fun...minus no aux fuel pumps in wings which may have caused us engine failure on left base turning onto final... Have been grounded for few days now, bad weather and low ceilings... was supposed to make Delta Junction today but pospone to next week. Fly safe. BCT