Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55

Last updated

Wien Consolidated Airlines
Flight 55
Fairchild F-27 N1823G.jpg
A Fairchild F-27 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
DateDecember 2, 1968
9:36 am AKST
Summary Structural failure
Site Pedro Bay, Alaska, U.S.
59°46′16″N154°08′28″W / 59.771°N 154.141°W / 59.771; -154.141
Aircraft
Aircraft type Fairchild F-27B
Operator Wien Consolidated Airlines
Registration N4905
Flight origin Anchorage, Alaska
1st stopover Iliamna, Alaska
2nd stopover Big Mountain, Alaska
3rd stopover King Salmon, Alaska
Destination Dillingham, Alaska
Passengers36
Crew3
Fatalities39
Injuries0
Survivors0
Relief map of USA Alaska.png
Red pog.svg
San Pedro Bay 

Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in Alaska that crashed into Pedro Bay on December 2, 1968, killing all 39 on board. [1] [2] The Fairchild F-27B aircraft was operated by Wien Consolidated Airlines and was en route to Dillingham from Anchorage, with three intermediate stops. The NTSB investigation revealed that the aircraft suffered a structural failure after encountering "severe-to-extreme" air turbulence. [3] The accident was the second-worst accident involving a Fairchild F-27 at the time, and currently the third-worst accident involving the aircraft. [1]

Contents

Flight

Flight 55 was served by a Fairchild F-27B, a twin-engine propjet aircraft [4] that had been in service since 1959. [1] The aircraft was piloted by Captain David Stanley, who had been a pilot for Northern Consolidated Airlines for seven years before that airline was merged into Wien Consolidated Airlines. Prior to that, he had been a flight instructor in Anchorage, and was described as an excellent pilot. [4]

Flight 55 departed Anchorage International Airport on Monday, December 2, at 8:46 am AKST, and proceeded 150 miles (240 km) southwest to Iliamna without reported difficulties. At 9:25 am, first officer Jerry Svengard contacted Iliamna air traffic control to request an approach clearance, which was granted at 9:26 am. [3] This was the last outside contact made with the crew of Flight 55.

Crash

While preparing to approach Iliamna, the aircraft encountered extreme turbulence at 11,500 feet (3,500 m). Local witnesses reported hearing an explosion and seeing a fireball in the vicinity of the aircraft's tail before it descended in a steep, uncontrolled spiral towards the ground. [4] Other witnesses reported large quantities of black smoke from behind the wing of the aircraft, and that the plane continued on course for a short period of time, before pieces separated from the aircraft and it entered a dive. [3] The aircraft crashed into Foxys Lake, Pedro Bay, [5] an area described as being a frozen marshland surrounded by mountains. [4]

Heavy winds gusting up to 55 miles per hour (90 km/h), as well as low temperatures of −11 °F (−24 °C), hampered search, rescue, recovery, and investigation efforts. [4] An Air Force helicopter was able to reach the crash site that afternoon, but was forced by the wind to take off shortly thereafter. The pilot, Major Norman Kahmoot, reported that there were no survivors, and that the aircraft had been so disfigured by the crash that it was no longer recognizable. [4] Bodies had been scattered across a large area, and local Athabascan villagers volunteered to guard the remains from wolves until they could be collected and taken to the temporary morgue. [4]

The NTSB investigation lasted 19 months, [1] and it was discovered that a number of fatigue cracks had formed on the aircraft's wings due to improper and shoddy maintenance. The area over Pedro Bay had been the site of extreme, unreported turbulence, with winds in excess of 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph). [3] The stresses due to turbulence and air pressure caused a structural failure in the aircraft's right wing, forcing it into a spiraling, uncontrollable dive. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Airlines Flight 587</span> Aviation accident in November 2001, New York, USA

American Airlines Flight 587 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. On November 12, 2001, the Airbus A300B4-605R flying the route crashed into the neighborhood of Belle Harbor on the Rockaway Peninsula of Queens, New York City, shortly after takeoff. All 260 people aboard the plane were killed, as well as five people on the ground. It is the second-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history, behind the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in 1979, and the second-deadliest aviation incident involving an Airbus A300.

Northwest Airlink was the brand name of Northwest Airlines' regional airline service, which flew turboprop and regional jet aircraft from Northwest's domestic hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis. Service was primarily to small-to-medium-sized cities and towns where larger aircraft might not be economical to operate and also to larger markets to either provide additional capacity or more frequent flights than could be justified using mainline aircraft. Beginning in July 2009, the Northwest Airlink trade name was phased out, and replaced by the Delta Connection trade name for Delta Air Lines as part of the Delta/Northwest merger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reeve Aleutian Airways</span> Former American airline, 1947–2000

Reeve Aleutian Airways was an airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It ceased operations on December 5, 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey Regional Airport</span> Regional airport in Monterey, California

Monterey Regional Airport is three miles (5 km) southeast of Monterey, in Monterey County, California, United States. It was created in 1936 and was known as the Monterey Peninsula Airport until the board of directors renamed it on September 14, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairchild F-27</span> Regional airliner

The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined, turboprop, passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar to the standard Fokker F27, while the FH-227 was an independently developed, stretched version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combi aircraft</span> Aircraft that can carry passengers and/or cargo

Combi aircraft in commercial aviation are aircraft that can be used to carry either passengers as an airliner, or cargo as a freighter, and may have a partition in the aircraft cabin to allow both uses at the same time in a mixed passenger/freight combination. The name combi comes from the word combination. The concept previously existed in railroading, as a passenger car that contained a separate compartment for mail and/or baggage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Air Lines Flight 773</span> Aviation accident caused by hijacking

Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 was a Fairchild F27A Friendship airliner that crashed on May 7, 1964, near Danville, California, a suburb east of Oakland. The Thursday morning crash was most likely the first instance in the United States of an airliner's pilots being shot by a passenger as part of a murder–suicide. Francisco Paula Gonzales, 27, shot both pilots before turning the gun on himself, causing the plane to crash, killing all 44 aboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continental Airlines Flight 1713</span> 1987 aviation accident

Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was a commercial airline flight that crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, on November 15, 1987. The Douglas DC-9 airliner, operated by Continental Airlines, was making a scheduled flight to Boise, Idaho. Twenty-five passengers and three crew members died in the crash.

MarkAir was a regional airline based in Anchorage, Alaska, that became a national air carrier operating passenger jet service in the United States with a hub and corporate headquarters located in Denver, Colorado. After a second bankruptcy in 1995, it ceased operations in October and was later liquidated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wien Air Alaska</span>

Wien Air Alaska (IATA: WC) was a United States airline that was the result of a merger of Northern Consolidated Airlines(NCA) and Wien Alaska Airways. It initially used the name Wien Consolidated Airlines following the merger in 1968. In 1973, Wien Consolidated became Wien Air Alaska. The company was famous for being the first airline in Alaska, and one of the first in the United States. It ceased operations on 23 November 1984, at which point it was operating as Wien Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambell Airport</span> Airport

Gambell Airport is a public airport located in Gambell, a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is owned by the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hughes Airwest Flight 706</span> 1971 aviation accident in Los Angeles County, California

Hughes Airwest Flight 706 was a regularly scheduled flight operated by American domestic airline Hughes Airwest from Los Angeles, California to Seattle, Washington, with several intermediate stops. On Sunday, June 6, 1971, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 serving as Flight 706 departed Los Angeles just after 6 p.m. en route to Seattle as a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II of the United States Marine Corps was approaching Marine Corps Air Station El Toro near Irvine at the end of a flight from Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada. The two aircraft collided in midair over the San Gabriel Mountains near Duarte, killing all 49 aboard the DC-9 and the F-4 pilot; the F-4 radar intercept officer ejected and survived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Airlines Flight 1866</span> 1971 fatal jet airliner crash

Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight operated by Alaska Airlines from Anchorage, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, with several intermediate stops in southeast Alaska. The aircraft was a Boeing 727-100 with U.S. registry N2969G manufactured in 1966. On September 4, 1971, the aircraft operating the flight crashed into a mountain in Haines Borough, about 18 miles west of Juneau, Alaska, while on approach for landing. All 111 people aboard were killed. The subsequent investigation found that erroneous navigation readouts led the crew to descend prematurely. No definitive cause for the misleading data was found. It was the first fatal jet aircraft crash involving Alaska Airlines, and remained the deadliest single-aircraft accident in United States history until June 24, 1975, when Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 crashed. It is still, however, the worst air disaster in Alaska state history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USAir Flight 427</span> Aviation accident in 1994

USAir Flight 427 was a scheduled flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, with a stopover at Pittsburgh International Airport. On Thursday, September 8, 1994, the Boeing 737 flying this route crashed in Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania while approaching Runway 28R at Pittsburgh, which was USAir's largest hub at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wien Air Alaska Flight 99</span> 1975 aviation accident

Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in Alaska to St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. On approach to Gambell on 30 August 1975, it crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain, east of the airport's runway. Of the 32 on board, ten were killed, including the captain and first officer. The Fairchild F-27B aircraft was operated by Wien Air Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan Am Flight 799</span> 1968 airplane crash

Pan Am Flight 799 was an international cargo flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Cam Ranh Airport in South Vietnam that crashed on December 26, 1968, near Anchorage, Alaska. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-321C aircraft operated by Pan American World Airways. All three crew members died in the crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26</span> 1970 Aviation accident involving a Douglas DC-8

Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26 was a chartered McDonnell Douglas DC-8 Military Airlift Command (MAC) contract flight operated by Capitol Air from McChord Field in Tacoma to Cam Ranh Bay in Southern Vietnam via stopovers at Anchorage and at Yokota Air Base in Japan. The aircraft crashed after a botched take-off attempt from Runway 6R at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on November 27, 1970. Of the 229 persons aboard the jet, 47 perished due to the post-crash fire with 49 persons injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E</span> 1993 Aviation incident in Alaska

Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E was a scheduled cargo flight on 31 March 1993, operated by Evergreen International Airlines, on behalf of Japan Air Lines, from Anchorage International Airport, in Anchorage, Alaska, to O'Hare International Airport, in Chicago. After departure, while climbing through 2,000 feet, the pylon for engine two detached, causing the whole engine to fall off the wing. The pilots managed to land the 747 back at Anchorage without further incident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Airlines Flight 60</span> 1976 aviation accident

The crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 60 was an accident involving a Boeing 727-81 of the American airline Alaska Airlines at Ketchikan International Airport in Ketchikan, Alaska, United States, on April 5, 1976, resulting in the death of a passenger with 32 serious and 17 minor injured survivors among the initial 50 passengers and crew on board.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on September 2, 2009.
  2. "39 die in Alaskan crash". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. 3 December 1968. p. 1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Aircraft Accident Report: Wien Consolidated Airlines, Inc.; Fairchild F-27B, N4905; Pedro Bay, Alaska; December 2, 1968" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 22 July 1970. NTSB-AAR-70-16. Retrieved 2 September 2009. - Copy at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Spotsy Lake, AK Airliner Crashes into Frozen Lake". Daily Sitka Sentinel Alaska. 3 December 1968. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  5. Byrne, Gerry (2002). Flight 427: Anatomy of an Air Disaster. New York: Copernicus Books. p. 41. ISBN   0-387-95256-X . Retrieved 3 September 2009.