Sea plane crash in 2015 - NTSB Report is Out

[elliair]

This is such a tragedy. Prayers going up for the families and passengers on the ship. It makes for a very sad cruise. Nothing else can be said to make it better.

[KW_Cruisers]

I was just reading about these small planes flying over Alaska after having seen them when we were there in May. It seems this is the worse crash since 2013. There have been hundreds of crashes with these small planes. Much is related to pilot error, reading one place where it said there are "Old Pilots and there are Bold Pilots, but there are not Old, Bold Pilots". Of course there are many factors and transportation is limited in Alaska, with even their senator being killed a couple of years ago in a plane crash.

 

RIP Westerdam 8 & pilot.

 

Now, we hope HAL does the right thing, even though people sign off on liability and try to insulate themselves from the excursions they sponsor. No, it's not enough to say these people should have had travel insurance to cover such tragedies.

 

"www.cdc.gov/...Jan 20, 2015 - An average of five fatal occupational aircraft crashes and eight fatalities occurred per year during 2000-2010 in Alaska. Most of these crashes were due to weather, pilots ' loss of aircraft control and pilots' failure to maintain clearance from terrain, water or objects.

 

Terrible news. Lets hope for the best for the passengers.

 

I wonder if this was the Misty Fjords excursion? Scary thought - we were on the Westerdam and took a seaplane excursion in Sept, 2013 on a rare beautiful day in Ketchikan. Only had 6 passengers on our seaplane, so it might be a different one.

[TXCruiser10]

This is so incredibly tragic. My heart and prayers go out to the victims and their families. So very sorry...

[igraf]

I agree 100%. The pilot should have cancelled the flight, but was driven by money into a very dangerous situation. Tighter regulations are required for these commercial sightseeing flights. The passengers are not going to enjoy the ride anyway if the weather is that bad!!

 

I am a private pilot myself.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

... One could hope that some good might come out of this tragedy, such as stricter pre-flight weather standards if that proves to be the cause.

Edited June 26, 2015 by igraf

[Diver2014]

Let's not forget that this didn't just impact the Westerdam and Holland America. How about some prayers for the pilot, their family, the people at Promech Air, and the town of Ketchikan (small town where I'm sure everyone knows everyone).

 

Keeping all those who have been impacted by this tragedy in my thoughts and prayers.

 

Exactly. My aunt lives in Ketchikan and something like this devastates the entire area. So sorry for all involved.

[jilloh2]

God and his Angels be with them and their loved ones and friends. Life is so fragile and never, ever should be taken for granted.

[beatriz22]

..was a sea plane, Misty Fijords excursion I think it was, just terribly sad, just terrible. CNN reports it was bad weather. You can go read it at cnn.com.

[Ladysilver]

Praying for all the families involved in this terrible tragedy. :(

[Lizzie68]

I agree 100%. The pilot should have cancelled the flight, but was driven by money into a very dangerous situation. Tighter regulations are required for these commercial sightseeing flights. The passengers are not going to enjoy the ride anyway if the weather is that bad!!

 

I am a private pilot myself.

 

igraf

 

This an incredibly horrible accident, please don't jump to conclusions or speculate. The pilot has a grieving family too, I am sure.

 

My heart goes out to all the relatives, and the passengers on the Westerdam who will have a very sad cruise back to Seattle.

[peety3]

There have been hundreds of crashes with these small planes. Much is related to pilot error, reading one place where it said there are "Old Pilots and there are Bold Pilots, but there are not Old, Bold Pilots". Of course there are many factors and transportation is limited in Alaska

 

Now, we hope HAL does the right thing

 

"www.cdc.gov/...Jan 20, 2015 - An average of five fatal occupational aircraft crashes and eight fatalities occurred per year during 2000-2010 in Alaska. Most of these crashes were due to weather, pilots ' loss of aircraft control and pilots' failure to maintain clearance from terrain, water or objects.

Hundreds of crashes but millions of flights. Transportation is just different in Alaska. Want to get to Ketchikan? Fly or swim/boat. Actually, it's "fly and ferry" or "swim/boat", as the airport is on a different island.

 

HAL will do the right thing. In 2007 when the Taquan incident occurred with Princess passengers, Princess dropped Taquan THE NEXT DAY.

 

Those Alaska fatality stats are incredibly low for the amount of flying that happens in Alaska. Flying IS safe.

[sppunk]

I agree 100%. The pilot should have cancelled the flight, but was driven by money into a very dangerous situation. Tighter regulations are required for these commercial sightseeing flights. The passengers are not going to enjoy the ride anyway if the weather is that bad!!

 

I am a private pilot myself.

 

igraf

 

What the hell? I am a private pilot - have part ownership in a Cessna - and this is crazy outrageous.

 

We have no idea at this time what caused this accident, the conditions DURING the accident or anything of the sort. It is wrong to the deceased to declare anything like this at this time.

 

An engine might have flamed out. The pilot might have suffered a heart attack. A passenger might have overtaken the pilot and crashed the plane on purpose. A quick downdraft might've sent the plane into the mountain face. We do not know. To imply anything is wrong. Flat-out wrong.

 

I will say one thing on point: These charter companies are regulated FAR more than any private pilot in this country already.

Edited June 26, 2015 by sppunk

[GaryfmCol]

Hundreds of crashes but millions of flights. Transportation is just different in Alaska. Want to get to Ketchikan? Fly or swim/boat. Actually, it's "fly and ferry" or "swim/boat", as the airport is on a different island.

 

HAL will do the right thing. In 2007 when the Taquan incident occurred with Princess passengers, Princess dropped Taquan THE NEXT DAY.

 

Those Alaska fatality stats are incredibly low for the amount of flying that happens in Alaska. Flying IS safe.

 

Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.

 

— Captain A. G. Lamplugh, British Aviation Insurance Group, London. c. early 1930's.

[sppunk]

Hundreds of crashes but millions of flights. Transportation is just different in Alaska. Want to get to Ketchikan? Fly or swim/boat. Actually, it's "fly and ferry" or "swim/boat", as the airport is on a different island.

 

HAL will do the right thing. In 2007 when the Taquan incident occurred with Princess passengers, Princess dropped Taquan THE NEXT DAY.

 

Those Alaska fatality stats are incredibly low for the amount of flying that happens in Alaska. Flying IS safe.

 

Indeed! And Alaskan weather is entirely unpredictable. Radar can look fine all over but within 5 minutes a mountain can cause heavy clouding and rain. No radar, no weather man, no pilot, no human can account for those rapid changes.

[midwest 852]

I agree 100%. The pilot should have cancelled the flight, but was driven by money into a very dangerous situation. Tighter regulations are required for these commercial sightseeing flights. The passengers are not going to enjoy the ride anyway if the weather is that bad!!

 

I am a private pilot myself.

 

igraf

 

PLEASE don't do this! Just offer condolences.

[taxmantoo]

Could we please leave any discussion related to "how", "why", "fault" out of this thread and keep it dedicated to expressions of grief for the people involved and their loved ones.

Thank you.

[kazu]

This an incredibly horrible accident, please don't jump to conclusions or speculate. The pilot has a grieving family too, I am sure.

 

My heart goes out to all the relatives, and the passengers on the Westerdam who will have a very sad cruise back to Seattle.

 

Could we please leave any discussion related to "how", "why", "fault" out of this thread and keep it dedicated to expressions of grief for the people involved and their loved ones.

Thank you.

 

I so agree with you both. Ditto.

[AKBriGuy550]

I live in Ketchikan and arrived home yesterday afternoon from vacation to learn of the crash. The search efforts actually delayed our arrival slightly. Our pilot explained there was a missing plane. When we landed it was rainy and windy, fairly typical actually, and I'd heard it had been not that great all day. I know through previous experience that tours will still leave in rainy weather in town because it can be completely different in the Mistys. I can say that many people who live here are very saddened by this news. We're a small community and news like this hits hard. I know some of the people involved with the recovery effort and it sounds like it's going to be a challenging job. Here's a fairly good article, goes into a bit more detail about the crash site: http://www.adn.com/article/20150625/nine-dead-southeast-alaska-floatplane-crash

Edited June 26, 2015 by AKBriGuy550

[LEtue]

Could we please leave any discussion related to "how", "why", "fault" out of this thread and keep it dedicated to expressions of grief for the people involved and their loved ones.

Thank you.

 

Yes, please!

 

Prayers to all the families and friends of those lost :(

[geocruiser]

Very, very sad news. My thoughts and prayers to all.

[bakersdozen12]

Heard about this through the Cruise Critic FB page. So incredibly sad. [emoji22]

Edited June 26, 2015 by bakersdozen12

[Queen of DaNile]

We were on the Volendam on 9/11. We did the Misty Fjords float plane tour thru HAL just days after those horrific plane crashes. The experience was beautiful but surreal. Hoping that those who perished yesterday are at peace and that their survivors find courage through positive memories of their loved ones.

[BuckeyeCruiser79]

Such sad news. Prayers for all involved.

[innlady1]

Learned of this on the Boston news this morning. Thinking of the families of the passengers and the pilot. So sad.

[IRL_Joanie]

I am still trying to wrap my head around this terrible tragedy.

 

May the Good Lord keep their souls, their families, friends and all the crew oof both the Westerdam and the Float Plane operators, in his hands.

 

I will not be checking the boards anymore today because of this news. I am going to try and lighten my thoughts with the Katmai Bear Cams instead. The bears and other critters seem to lighten me a bit when I hear about tragedies.

 

Joanie

Edited June 26, 2015 by IRL_Joanie

[summer slope]

Amen