I just watched the nightly Anchorage news and it was reported that the NTSB was looking into the possibility that the plane was overloaded. No matter what the cause ultimately it is a very sad outcome. A doctor said that the injured should survive.

Interesting blog on the W&B theory here:

http://jasonjamesbaker.wordpress.com/20 ... -accident/

Either way, no getting around either the heroics of the bystanders, or the tragedy of loosing a child. Don't need no NTSB report to tell you that.

And if you haven't heard it before, Anchorage is just a suburb of Seattle (in regard to the trauma center question)

-DP

Based on today's news article it looks like the NTSB is zeroing in on weight and balance.

http://www.adn.com/2010/06/03/1306861/survivors-of-fairview-plane-crash.html

That the 4 year old child's body was found under the panel and pinned by lumber says quite a bit. Scuttlebutt around here is that there was also grout and some concrete blocks or bricks on board.

In addition to the lumber, scuttlebutt says (as in, person who watched him load the aircraft said) he also loaded grout and tiles - plane was reported to be porpoising as he taxied away from original loading sight to runway [after which he then got fuel and loaded family]. Concrete bags and/or blocks are still unconfirmed rumor.

Of the folks outside watching him go down (including an IA, retired ATC, and passel of A&P's), consensus says aft-heavy and over-gross, nothing wrong with the engine. We'll see what the NTSB have to say, but so far (for once) the rumor chain seems of united opinion.

If he could maintain 75 AGL as far as Ingra, you'd think it would be possible to keep mushing down seventh to the cemetery, angle over to ninth, and lower onto the soccer fields on the park strip.

Of course, I don't know anything about handling in an over-gross, out-of cg 206, and I don't intend to learn either. Don't want to know about using ground effect from rooftops, either.

I was about 150ft away when it happened. Here's the write up I gave the NTSB.

I was waiting to turn right towards Elmendorf AFB in my truck at the intersection of 6th and Ingra when I heard an aircraft at high rpm come overhead. Nothing about the engine seemed out of the ordinary outside of the fact that it was surprisingly loud. Then I heard a loud thump and the engine noise ceased. I felt the impact even in my truck. I wait for maybe a second and listened for the aircraft but heard nothing.

I honked at the jeep in front of me to move and made my way around the block, stopping at the corner of 7th and Ingra. By now I had located the aircraft and grabbed my fire extinguisher. I ran across the street towards the aircraft and two other men and I began to try and open the door. A light white smoke was coming from the engine bay and it was obvious that a fire was imminent. The pilot side door had been jammed shut but one man had managed to break the Plexiglas and opened it. I looked into the aircraft windows and saw Rachel looking at me through the glass sitting upright in the seat directly behind the pilot. A large plastic tub blocked the window behind Rachel and it was clearly visible that the aircraft had been vastly overloaded.

We were finally able to break open the pilots window and pulled Preston through the broken window and carried him behind and to the left of the aircraft. His face was disfigured and he was bleeding profusely. By the time I returned to the aircraft someone had managed to tear the door open. Flames and thick smoke were now coming from underneath the dash and spreading across the floor so I used my extinguisher to keep them at bay while we worked to get Rachel out. Once we had Rachel free, we carried her to safety and returned to the aircraft to try and get more folks out. A group of people were helping lift the left wing as we pulled people out. I can’t remember who got Stacie Cavner out but I remember helping carry her with several other folks away from the aircraft.

I went back to the pilot, who was now being treated by bystanders, and asked him how many people were in the aircraft. He replied “four” and I went back to the aircraft to find the fourth. By now the fire was really taking hold, and I looked to my right to see a woman holding Hudson Cavner. I then went back to Preston and and said “Ok, there was you, two women, and a little boy onboard. Was there anyone else?” He replied, “There’s another little boy”. We went back to the aircraft but by now the entire cabin was engulfed in flames. We then, along with police started telling the gathering crowd to back up and moved the victims farther away from the fire so medical personnel could treat them. A popping noise was coming from the airplane that sounded like ammunition caught in the fire.

Bottom Line in my opinion: I’ve flown a Cessna 206 and it was obvious from the first moment I looked inside the aircraft was very overloaded. As it came overhead, just before crashing, it sounded just like a 206 at high RPM setting should sound. I heard no evidence of mechanical problems whatsoever. There was cargo loaded to the ceiling of the aircraft when I arrived and did not appear to have dramatically shifted. Until I saw Hudson in another woman’s arms, I never saw him inside the aircraft, there was so much cargo.

It really sucked thinking for about a day and a half that we didn't get that little boy out before it caught fire. Fortunately, I spoke with a Sgt that was there with me (you can see him in the pictures holding the wing on ADN.com), and he said he saw the little boy in the cabin. He died on impact when the lumber struck him so we know he didn't burn to death.

(Removed a section, sorry)

The only good that came from this was watching people come help us to save those people stuck inside. To all the other pilots reading this I will say this. You need to dress for fire. When I flew on the E-3 there was a reason we wore NOMEX. I still wear NOMEX when I fly. Seeing people trapped in an airplane while it burned was like watching my worst nightmare come true. I watched jeans and light shoes burn. Carhart sells a treated fire resistant pant that's worth it's weight in gold.

Please be careful. Alaska especially is full of people who treat their aircraft like flying ATV's and picup trucks. Be a professional and safe pilot or stop flying before you hurt people.

Great job on your part Tick. Sorry you and everyone else had to witness such a horrific scene. Sorry that the little boy and surviving passengers had to go down with the pilot. I've got a 3 year-old and a 1 year-old, and I couldn't agree with your sentiments more wholeheartedly. The image of that little burned body trapped under the panel by a pile of lumber just boils my blood.

-DP

Good on you, Tick. Nice work and good account.

Thanks for doing what you did Tick, you saved lives by being there and reacting.

Can anyone point me to the Carhart pants he mentions? I wear carharts most of the time that I fly, but they're just normal carhart pants.

Also, Tick, when were you on E-3s...I assume there at Elmendorf? I was in the 19th there from 95 to 02. Looks like I'll be back in town at the end of July when the show is going on.

Tick, If I every go down I hope there are people like you around. My hat's off to you sir.

Jerry

Tadpole wrote:Thanks for doing what you did Tick, you saved lives by being there and reacting.

Can anyone point me to the Carhart pants he mentions? I wear carharts most of the time that I fly, but they're just normal carhart pants.

http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... ryId=15079

You can usually pick them up at workwear stores too.

once&futr_alaskaflyer wrote:

Tadpole wrote:Thanks for doing what you did Tick, you saved lives by being there and reacting.

Can anyone point me to the Carhart pants he mentions? I wear carharts most of the time that I fly, but they're just normal carhart pants.

http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... ryId=15079

You can usually pick them up at workwear stores.

Thanks Rich!

Hey, my friend PB needed some clothes like that in High School. Every time we went camping he would get so drunk he would fall in the fire. No kidding almost every time!

Tick, they wanna recognize you and the others that helped..

http://www.adn.com/2010/06/08/1313510/p ... cuers.html

Tick thankyou for all you and the others did. It restores my faith. On occasion the human spirit is something to behold. I hope the family can recover as best they can. Something like flying that gives me so much pleasure, can also if mishandled or judged be tragically destructive. God bless you all.

Tick, it was a good thing you had a fire extinguisher with you, it really made a difference in the outcome of this tragedy. I only have a small one in my Queen Air and none in my car and truck. I will change that tomorrow.

Tick

Wish I could think of something prophetic to say. The only thing that comes to mind is "good on you" and the others that stepped up to the plate. Four people are alive today because of your efforts -- they were trapped in wreckage with fire rapidly encroaching. Good job.

Nice job Tick! You have a cool head on you!