Still unclear if Uncle Ted is among the casualties, at least according to the media.

That old cat usually lands on his feet,again hopefully the case.

Condolences to the families.

gb

Unfortunatly he did not make it.

www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/10/ste ... in-alaska/

Lots of coverage on this one this morning in the news...CNN showing photos of the crash site, interviewing other pilots standing in front of their planes, and using terms like "poor visibility."

COPA tried to talk Transport Canada out of mandating 406 elt's for all planes in Canada, but failed to convince the powers to be. Mexico the same.

This illustrates that nothing is foolproof, sadly.

Plane's emergency beacon failed in Alaska crash

The downed plane in Alaska was equipped with a state-of-the-art emergency beacon but it did not send out an alert, officials said.

By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
A state-of-the-art emergency beacon on board the plane carrying former senator Ted Stevens did not broadcast its signal after the amphibious craft went down Monday in the remote Alaskan wilderness, a federal satellite tracking agency said Thursday.
If it had worked, a satellite passing over the area could have picked up the emergency signal within minutes of the crash and launched a rescue effort, said Chris O'Connors, program manager for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system.


CRASH SITE: Investigators on scene
FLYING OVER ALASKA: Safety improves, hazards remain
ALASKA CRASH: Survivor watched father die
APPRECIATION: Stevens, 86, advocate for Alaska

The attempt to locate the plane did not begin for several hours and then was hampered as low clouds and rain closed in, forcing four injured passengers to spend the night in the wreckage, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Five other passengers, including Stevens, died at the scene. The NTSB has not said whether any of the dead survived the initial impact.

General Communications Inc., an Alaskan telecommunications company that was hosting Stevens and others at its fishing lodge, had registered an emergency beacon for its DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter with SARSAT, O'Connors said.

The newest generation of beacons, known as emergency locator transponders, are highly accurate digital devices that have been credited with scores of rescues. They provide SARSAT with the location of an emergency scene and contact telephone numbers of family members or business associates so rescue attempts can begin promptly.

The devices were credited with rescuing a 16-year-old girl in the Indian Ocean in June after her round-the-world sailing trip was cut short by a large wave. They are particularly helpful for people stranded in the wilds of Alaska, said Lt. Shawn Maddock, operations support officer for SARSAT.

"In the two winters that I've been working here at SARSAT, it's probably been close to 20 snowmobilers (in Alaska) who were saved," Maddock said.

O'Connors said his agency has reviewed the data from Monday and could find no indication that satellites received any signal from the plane. Two satellites passed over the wreckage between 4:09 p.m. and 4:21 p.m., he said. NTSB Chairwoman Debbie Hersman confirmed that there was no record of an emergency beacon signal.

Accident investigators estimate the plane crashed between 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., but planes did not begin to search the area until about 7 p.m., Hersman said.

It's not clear why the beacon didn't send an alert. Models built for aircraft are designed to automatically send a distress signal after an impact from a crash. The units are usually installed near the tail of an aircraft. The tail section and most of the fuselage of Stevens' plane remained intact, according to the NTSB's preliminary reports.

Doesn't give me that warm and fuzzy feeling about my 406. Steve

steve wrote:Doesn't give me that warm and fuzzy feeling about my 406. Steve

Unless the manufacturers redesign the impact sensing system, I see no reason why a 406 would be any more reliable than the old 121.5.

tom

Ditto on the 406 ELT. They really haven't improved the G-switch from the old ELT. And, guess what typically causes the failure to activate???

Here's a good, seemingly unbiased article on the accident and search:

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/dispatche ... ed-stevens

Terry Smith was one of the best, most experienced pilots in the state. If he could wind up in one of these things, anyone can. Be careful out there, folks.

MTV

mtv wrote:
Terry Smith was one of the best, most experienced pilots in the state. If he could wind up in one of these things, anyone can. Be careful out there, folks.

MTV

Never met him and lots of folks say he was the "Best in Alaska". Maybe he was just the luckiest in Alaska tell that overcast day. With eight paying customers all thinking he was the best all with reservations at a fishing lodge, mayabe Terry made a dicision that would have been different had he only been hauling soda and chips to the lodge. Decisions are made for lots of different reasons.

Do not know, just a thought.

Tim

Tim,

In fact, we may never really know what actually caused this accident. As I said, Terry Smith was one of the most experienced and skilled aviators in Alaska, without doubt. Until all the facts are out there, at least as best as they'll ever be known, I'll reserve judgement. Remember, Terry pioneered Alaska Airline's route into Dutch Harbor with Boeing 737s. If you've never been to Dutch, take a look at it on Google Earth, and look for the runway--which is on the BACK side of Amaknak Island. Getting in and out of there could be a deeply moving religious experience at times, but those folks did it in the 737s without an incident for a number of years.

For perspective, here's an oral history of Terry, done by Jim King, a retired US Fish & Wildlife Pilot/Biologist, done in about 2001. I attended the meeting they refer to of FWS pilots, where Terry's Dad (also Theron) talked about the old days of FWS aviation. This is sort of long, but it gives you some perspective on one facet of Alaska history, and some background of Terry's life.

http://www.fws.gov/digitalmedia/cgi-bin ... e=9393.pdf

MTV

Doesn't matter how "good" or experienced you are. Get into the wrong set of circumstances, or a snowballing of problems that overwhelm pilot and/or aircraft, and something bad is going to happen. The Laws of Physics are very, very patient, and always win.

Gump

I knew Terry a little and his wife Teri and son Brian. Sad day for this family. I flew a Grumman Albatross
with Terry and he was a good stick and a nice guy.

Typical FAA and NTSB pointing fingers at each other.........has been going on for years