Awful news:

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/542782.html

Lots of emerging indicators that the pilot tried to turn back to the runway after losing power. Having just departed that same runway myself on Monday, I'm wondering what other straight-ahead options may have even been available. 5th avenue at noontime would have been a pretty unconscionable place to try to put it down. The down town park strip was almost certainly out of range. I wonder if a 90 degree turn to runway 16 might have been the pilot's objective, as opposed to the presumed 180 degree turn back to runway 7.

One troubling statement in the coverage:

There have been a number of missed approaches and takeoffs at Merrill Field over the years, Marian said.

OK, but let's put that into statistical perspective. MRI was experiencing a departure virtually every minute the last time I was there.

I freaked at first, but checked, my friend's 1968 206 up there is registered in AK.

That sucks though.

And I agree, that statement about a number of missed approaches and take offs needs to go. Someone doing a missed approach is a good thing!

yup its allot easier to explain why you went around than why you didn't.

No dark humor intended, but old instructors at Merrill always said to aim for the graveyard just to the west and try to land between the trees. Another somewhat interesting comment I heard this am on the news was that, the news reporter didn't know where the pilot was heading when he took off, but that there was some frozen fish on the ground at the crash site. Regardless, it's a sad situation.. It appears that the crash site was about 300 yards from where my bird is tied down.