Taquan Seaplane Crash and return to Ketchikan - All Survive

[hubofhockey]

Here is the story.

[cruzemaven]

That's great news. Were there any cruise passengers on that float plane?

Edited July 11, 2018 by cruzemaven

[hillbillycruzer]

Anchorage Daily News, "The pilot picked up 10 passengers at Steamboat Bay Fishing Club on Tuesday morning, a representative of the lodge on Noyes Island said."

[dforeigner]

Here is a video from a news source.

 

https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/air-forces-10000-toilet-seat-covers-now-printed-56505415

[bubblesqueaker]

I go to Alaska in 2 weeks and nearly booked a floatplane (including with the company involved here). When I googled the trips most of the sites came up as ‘incidents / crashes’. Giving it the benefit of the doubt I went to the NTSB site and read up on incidents - there are far too many! Shame, decided it was too much of a risk for us.

 

 

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[JT1962]

I go to Alaska in 2 weeks and nearly booked a floatplane (including with the company involved here). When I googled the trips most of the sites came up as ‘incidents / crashes’. Giving it the benefit of the doubt I went to the NTSB site and read up on incidents - there are far too many! Shame, decided it was too much of a risk for us.

 

 

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I agree. Flights in small planes / helicopters are about the only excursions we won’t do. I realize the vast majority have no issues, but there are still many more issues with these excursions than commercial jets. The weather conditions in Alaska can change quickly, adding an additional risk factor.

 

This article convinced me several years ago that these excursions weren’t worth the risk for us:

 

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/should-alaska-ban-floatplanes-after-accident-kills-122651180422.html

 

 

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Edited July 11, 2018 by JT1962

[toledo]

I'm going with Southeast Aviation on the 23rd. Here I've only been worrying about encountering a bear on the path to :loudcry:Anan. This will give me something else to worry about:loudcry:.

[katrina915]

I'm going with Southeast Aviation on the 23rd. Here I've only been worrying about encountering a bear on the path to :loudcry:Anan. This will give me something else to worry about:loudcry:.

 

Anan is great. Enjoy!

[kennicott]

I agree. Flights in small planes / helicopters are about the only excursions we won’t do. I realize the vast majority have no issues, but there are still many more issues with these excursions than commercial jets. The weather conditions in Alaska can change quickly, adding an additional risk factor.

 

This article convinced me several years ago that these excursions weren’t worth the risk for us:

 

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/should-alaska-ban-floatplanes-after-accident-kills-122651180422.html

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I agree, there are circumstances leading to concern for visitors in Alaska when considering light aircraft tour flights, particularly in Southeast Alaska. However, my opinion is that It is unfair to lump fixed wing safety together with rotor wing safety as helicopter operators have amassed an exemplary safety record in this regard. I say that as a one time commercial pilot in Alaska flying fixed wing light aircraft. You aren't going to find much in the way of rotor-wing flight seeing accidents, anywhere, including here in Alaska. This subject periodically often comes up, at one time I had a bias toward helicopters, not anymore. Here is a pertinent post of mine on another thread just a few years years ago:

 

 

"I flew commercially in Alaska on the coast and in the interior, for 12 years, for the light aircraft bush division of an airline, flying both floats and wheels. Before I flew I worked as a mechanic/helper, one time in 1955 a helicopter came through, the pilot needed some help so asked me to ride along. It was only a 10 minute flight but that was the last time I was in a rotor wing until April 2013. Being a fixed wing pilot I listened to my colleagues, too much, we were always sort of prejudice about the rotor wings. But over the years I noticed that in Hawaii and even here in Alaska the helicopter outfits were slowly dominating the flight seeing industry. I wondered why. There was a non-fatal helicopter sightseeing accident in Southeast Alaska about 13 years or more ago that caused a little anxiety. It turned out that was the first safety board documented accident a rotor wing had down there, which amazed me as fixed wing accidents over the same statistical period were relatively commonplace. In my years of commercial flying I flew dozens and dozens of trips which were considered flightsees. I never had an accident of any type.

 

Having said all that, in April 2013 my wife and I decided to take a helicopter flightsee on Kona, even though we had been in Hawaii hundreds of days since 1970. Here is what I reported in Tripadviser:

 

"It was a beautiful day, but even at that, due all the hot gas and stuff from the vents the volcano sort of makes its own weather. So there were stretches where the smog was rather thick. We stopped in Hilo to refuel, then continued on along the coast. Very spectacular waterfalls, one after another, all set in the beautiful rain forests on that side of the island, then you come to Waimanu Valley, wow. I've only been on a chopper once before and that was when I was 15 or 16. No wonder helicopters are taking over visitor flight seeing, the world over. Going slow and hovering about and above outstanding vistas is the key, particularly when looking right down the throat of an active volcano." https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2324736&highlight=flight+seeing+safety+Alaska

[rkacruiser]

A number of years ago, I sucked up my courage and took a float plane trip to Misty Fjords. This was my first flight on a small plane. That tour remains a distinct highlight in my memory of tours that I have experienced. I'm so glad that I chose to do so.

 

I had no problem with booking the Juneau tour of the 5 Glaciers and Taku Lodge in 2017. It was just as exciting, scenic, and memorable as my first small plane tour.

[Sosher]

I was told by a friend from Anchorage that sadly, the pilots doing the flying come from everywhere to make a buck. They don't fully understand the changing weather patterns in Alaska, causing many accidents and incidents. Be sure to check out who your flying with before you book.