Another Taquan Air DHC Crash in Alaska This Week

[Airbubba]

These sightseeing planes and helos are deadly. The NTSB team staying in Ketchikan led by Board Member Jennifer Homendy will file for more per diem.

Two dead in Taquan Air crash in Metlakatla Harbor, borough says

ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - Two people are dead after a crash in the Metlakatla Harbor, a spokesperson for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough wrote in a release Monday evening.

A Taquan Air Beaver airplane with a pilot and passenger on board crashed at about 4 p.m. Deanna Thomas, the spokesperson, wrote. The circumstances of the crash were not available.

The National Transportation Safety Board director for Alaska said the agency had received word of the incident at about 4:30 p.m.

The Coast Guard had sent a helicopter from Air Station Sitka and a response boat from Ketchikan to try to rescue the plane's occupants, but a Coast Guard spokesperson said Metlakatla Police, Good Samaritans, emergency medical services and Troopers had all responded.

Thomas, with the Borough, said a seining boat was the first to reach the scene of the crash.

Taquan Air is the operator of one of two planes that collided near Ketchikan last week, killing six people between the 16 on board both planes. A public relations spokesperson hired by the company reached Monday evening said he didn't have any further information at the time.

A Good Samaritan boat was towing the plane to shore until it could be secured.

This is a developing story and will be updated with more information as we receive it.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/810x455/courtesy_aerial_leask_cropped_5b34825173c349562b23c0fe2edb28 18f18422b8.jpg

[Airbubba]

Boilerplate safety declaration from taquanair.com:

Your Safety is Our Top PriorityOur customers experience peace of mind knowing that our pilots receive extensive training, are certified by the FAA, and, as a group, are the most experienced in Alaska.

The name Taquan, meaning “village by the sea” in the Tisimshian native language, has been synonymous with aviation in Southeast Alaska for over 40 years. This service record has given Taquan Air an advantage in attracting and maintaining strong business relationships.

Taquan maintains an exceptionally high level of professional integrity and will not compromise safety or good business practices. Management has committed the company to being the top floatplane operator in Alaska. Taquan Air’s value statement begins with a company-wide safety culture.Endorsed by the Federal Aviation Administrationhttps://taquanair.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/faa.pngThe FAA is supporting the Medallion Foundation in the implementation of this program. The FAA will jointly sign a certificate for the award of a Star after the Foundation personnel determine the operator has met the requirements of that star. Once an applicant has received all five Stars and passed a six-month audit, the applicant is eligible to be evaluated for the Medallion Shield. If that evaluation is passed successfully, the applicant will become a Medallion Foundation Shield Operator and may display the shield on their aircraft, if they so desire. Additionally, the standards of the Foundation exceed those required by government regulation in most areas. The guidelines have been enthusiastically endorsed by the FAA as well as the insurance industry and are looked upon as a positive step for the aviation industry in Alaska.

[India Four Two]

More information.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/alaska-plane-crash-1.5142963

[Airbubba]

From the NTSB, it appears that this was a scheduled commuter flight, not a sightseeing flight as I first thought:

NTSB dispatched investigators from Anchorage Regional Office to investigate May 20, 2019, crash of Taquan Air [de] Havilland DHC-2. While owned by same operator involved in May 13, 2019, mid-air collision, plane was not on sightseeing flight, was a commuter flight.

[DaveReidUK]

From the NTSB, it appears that this was a scheduled commuter flight, not a sightseeing flight as I first thought

Taquan fly a couple of round trips a day between their base at Ketchikan Harbor and Metlakatla.

[nivsy]

I had a wonderful trip with them last year on a Beaver. I am saddened by recent events and can only imagine the impact on all staff. Condolences to all affected in the accidents . Sad times for Alaskan aviation.

[PastTense]

An Alaska air carrier involved in two deadly floatplane crashes in a week has voluntarily suspended operations, federal officials said Tuesday.
The halt of flightseeing and commuter flights is in place indefinitely, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.The action comes after the passenger and the pilot of a Beaver floatplane operated by Taquan Air were killed when the single-engine aircraft crashed in Metlakatla Harbor on Monday afternoon during a 22-mile (35-kilometre) commuter flight from Ketchikan.
https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/05/21/alaska-air-carrier-suspends-operations-after-2nd-crash-federal-aviation-administration/

[PastTense]

The Taquan Air flight crashed while landing in the waters of Metlakatla Harbor at about 4 p.m. Monday.A National Transportation Safety Board investigator and two Federal Aviation Administration officials arrived on the scene Tuesday. The NTSB says witness statements indicate the de Havilland Beaver aircraft flipped on impact and quickly submerged.
“They said sometime during the touchdown, the right float dug in, the airplane cartwheeled a number of times,” said Clint Johnson, chief of the NTSB Alaska Regional Office. “The right wing was severed and the airplane came to rest inverted, upside down. Obviously, the cockpit and the passenger was submerged.”
Johnson said the two victims were recovered by Metlakatla responders and others. In addition, Taquan Air brought two Guardian Flight medics who assisted with resuscitation efforts. Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad, U.S. Coast Guard crews and good Samaritans also responded to the crash.
Johnson said that the wing that hit the water is still missing, but the rest of the plane has been recovered. He said a barge is set to bring the wreckage to Ketchikan to do a full investigation.
“If everything goes as planned, that wreckage will be back first thing in the morning so they can start documenting,” Johnson said. “Then they’ll start the witness interviews or the interviews at Taquan.”
Johnson said the NTSB has not identified a cause for the crash, though he said witnesses have reported that the weather was slightly windy — typical for Southeast Alaska. He said there were about 10 miles of visibility from Annette Island. https://www.ktoo.org/2019/05/21/victims-in-floatplane-crash-near-metlakatla-identified/