Annette Island

While in cruising altitude on a ferry flight from Anchorage to Annette Island, the twin engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances somewhere in the north part of the Pacific Ocean, off the Alaskan coast. No trace of the airplane nor both occupants was ever found.

While in cruising altitude along Annette Island, both engines failed simultaneously. Unable to divert to the nearest airport, the pilot reduced his altitude and ditched the aircraft off the island. The airplane slid for several yards and came to rest. All 11 occupants were quickly rescued while the aircraft was lost.

Enroute, weather conditions worsened and the pilot lost hos orientation then the control of the aircraft that crashed on Annette Island. The wreckage was found a day later and all three occupants were killed.

En route from Juneau to Annette Island, the crew reported engine problems. The seaplane later crashed in an isolated area located in the region of Ketchikan. All three occupants were killed.

The morning of the crash, the crew departed from McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, Washington, where they had picked up “hitchhiker” Corporal Timmons and then flew northward. Radio difficulties developed necessitating a return to McChord. Soon remedied, they departed once more for their first fuel stop, Annette Island, near Ketchikan, Alaska, enroute to their final destination, Anchorage, Alaska. High winds and severe turbulence prevented them from landing at Annette Island. The crew was given a choice – either return to a Canadian airport behind them or proceed north to Gustavus where runway lights and equipment for instrument landings offered better facilities for night landings than even Juneau in those days. The weather in Gustavus was reported as “clear and no winds” to “very slight winds”. The crew elected to go to Gustavus. Although the California pilot was well-trained in multi-engine instrument approaches, he was relatively new to Alaskan conditions. As the plane approached Gustavus, it was dark and beginning to snow. The passengers on the plane realized they had arrived in the Gustavus area, momentarily spotting lights through the dark and snow as they anxiously looked out the windows. The fuel supply was very low, so there were no options of returning to Annette or proceeding to Anchorage. The captain was leery of making the standard instrument approach to Gustavus because it would have required him to fly well beyond the airfield, far out over Glacier Bay with an aircraft that was running precariously low on fuel. On the next attempt – now the third time over the airport area in what the locals described as a snow squall, Mr. Aase reported that, “The pilot was in line for the runway, but got a bit low and the right wing caught a tall tree that made the aircraft start to spin and (it) nosed into the ground. “The front of the plane was badly damaged. At the same time the plane was twisting, the tail slowly lowered into the trees which cushioned it. It set down gently into the trees so that the fuselage from the wall aft was just about in perfect condition. So apparently, while attempting to keep the airfield in sight, he elected to circle and make a “short” visual approach to the runway. All four crew members were killed and the seven passengers were injured.
Crew:
Cpt Robert E. Kafader,
1st Lt Dennis V. Stamey,
S/Sgt Floyd S. Porter,
S/Sgt David A. Dial.
Passengers:
Lloyd Timmons,
2nd Lt Harry S. Aase,
Cpt Robert D. Ellis,
W/O Richard J. Mueller,
M/Sgt James E. O’Rourke,
1st Lt Wallace J. Harrison,
2nd Lt William W. Caldwell.
Source and text by Rita Wilson via
http://www.gustavushistory.org/articles/view.aspx?id=10000

Flight 785 departed Portland, Oregon, at 0200, January 12, 1952, destined for Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska, with a cargo of produce consisting mainly of crated eggs. The crew consisted of Captain Burton L. McGuire, Chief Pilot of General Airways, Inc., and First Officer George A. Simpson. The flight proceeded uneventfully and landed at Annette, Alaska, at 0709, at this point having completed almost one-half of the trip. At Annette, 507 gallons of 91 octane gasoline were added, resulting in a total fuel load of 650 gallons. The fueling report of the Standard Oil station at Annette reflected that the oil supply for each engine was 24 gallons. No cargo was removed from or added to the aircraft; the cargo weight upon departure was 6,177 pounds. The weight and balance manifest indicated a takeoff gross weight of 26,894 pounds, and the load was properly distributed with respect to the center of gravity. The maximum certificated takeoff gross weight for the aircraft was 26,900 pounds. The flight delayed at Annette for two hours and twenty-two minutes, awaiting improvement of weather conditions at Anchorage. Both pilots were thoroughly briefed on weather conditions by U. S. Weather Bureau personnel, and the pilots reviewed pertinent weather information several times. The aircraft was placed in a hangar to prevent ice formation due to freezing drizzle. A solid overcast was forecast over the route from Annette to Anchorage with temperature at flight level lowering from -10 degrees C. at Annette to -12 degrees C. between Sitka and Cape Spencer, and -14 degrees C. at Yakutat. Winds at the 10,000-foot level 2 were forecast as approximately 230 degrees and 45 knots to Sitka, and 200 degrees and 65 knots north of Sitka. Stable air was predicted, with little or no turbulence except over high, rough terrain where mechanically induced turbulence was expected due to the effect of strong winds. Light icing at flight level was forecast. The freezing drizzle changed to snow at about 0905, and the pilots made preparations to continue the flight. A new flight plan was filed at Annette, and Flight 785 was authorized by Air Route Traffic Control to proceed under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), direct from Annette to Sitka (off airway) and thence to Anchorage via Amber Airway No. 1. 3 The flight was to maintain at least 500 feet on top of the clouds while in the control area, join Amber 1 at Sitka at 9,000 feet, and maintain 9,000 feet. The alternate airport was Kenai, near Anchorage. Flight 785 departed Annette at 0931. The flight reported to Annette radio at 0940 that it estimated over Sitka at 1050. At 1111, Flight 785 advised Sitka radio that it was meeting strong head winds and estimated over Sitka in five or ten minutes. At 1116, the pilot reported by Sitka at 1113, 9,000 feet, and estimating Cape Spencer intersection 4 at 1156. Flight 785 reported by Cape Spencer intersection at 1147, 9,000 feet, estimating over Yakutat at 1245. This was the last radio contact with N 41748.

Upon landing on an icy runway at Annette Island, the aircraft was caught by strong crosswinds, veered off runway to the left, lost its undercarriage and came to rest. All six occupants were uninjured while the aircraft was apparently damaged beyond repair. It is not confirmed if it was the C-46 registered N92854 (c/n 250).

At approximately 2226, November 3, 1948. the flight departed Anchorage for Seattle, Washington, via Homer, Yakutat, and Annette Island, Alaska, with a crew consisting of A R. Kinnear, pilot, and R A Wilson, copilot. The flight arrived at Yakutat, Alaska, at 0257, November 4, 1948, without incident. At Yakutat an instrument flight plan was filed specifying a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet to Annette Island, the next intended stop. At 0407, the flight took off from Yakutat with the same crew, 15 passengers, 800 gallons of fuel, and no cargo. Total airplane weight was within the certified limit and the airplane was properly loaded. A position report was received from the flight by Gustavus Radio at 0510 to the effect that the flight was cruising at 10,000 feet, 146 miles southeast of Yakutat, and that it estimated arriving over Sitka, Alaska, 240 miles southeast of Yakutat, at 0544. This was the last communication received from the flight. Approximately one hour after the flight's estimated arrival time over Sitka, an emergency warning was issued by CAA Communications to all radio stations between Anchorage and Seattle. Also alerted was the Civil Aeronautics Board, the 10th Air and Sea Rescue Squadron, and the Coast Guard Air Facility. At 0700 the Coast Guard dispatched a search plane to the area over which the flight had last reported, but no trace of the airplane or its occupants was found.

Flight 923 departed at 1030 October 26, 1947, from Seattle, Washington, for Juneau, Alaska, with an intermediate stop scheduled at Annette Island Captain Alf N. Monsen flew as pilot and First Officer Laurence A Foster as copilot. The airplane carried 13 passengers including an infant, a crew of five, 2,500 gallons of fuel, and 822 pounds of cargo. This load was within the allowable airplane weight and was properly distributed in respect to the center of gravity. Company weather information given to Captain Monsen before departure was to the effect that there would be unlimited ceiling from Seattle to Comox, British Columbia. Then at the cruising altitude of 9,000 feet, instrument conditions, light icing, and light to moderate turbulence was expected over the route. Winds were forecasted to be from 200 to 230 degrees at 30 to 40 knots. It was also forecasted that at the time of the flight's arrival over Annette there would be an 800-foot overcast, lower broken clouds, visibility of 2 miles, light rain, and a surface wind from the south-southeast at 18 knots. A cold type occlusion or front which was moving toward Annette Island from a point about 375 miles west of there was expected to pass Annette Island before the flight arrived. Proceeding en route in accordance with an instrument clearance to fly at 9,000 feet, the flight arrived over Annette Island at 1338 after a routine trip. Earlier, at 1326, the company radio at Annette Island had transmitted a weather observation which reported an indefinite 1,400-foot ceiling, overcast, lower broken clouds, visibility of 3 miles, rain, wind southeast at 28 miles per hour, with gusts to 40 miles per hour. The flight acknowledged receipt of this information. Airway Traffic Control cleared the flight to pass over the radio range station located 1 5 mile northwest of the airport at 7,000 feet and then to proceed with a normal instrument letdown and approach to the field. The flight acknowledged this clearance, and reported its position over the radio range station at 7,000 feet at 1338. The normal instrument procedure for Annette Island was established with regard to the mountainous terrain east and northeast of the airport, which rises to an elevation of 3,596 feet on Tamgas Mountain. This procedure required the flight, after approaching from the south at 7,000 feet and reporting over the radio station, to remain west of the south course of the range while on instruments. Five minutes after the flight reported over the range station, at 1343 it advised Annette Radio that it was proceeding to Juneau, approximately 250 miles north-northwest of Annette Island, because of extreme turbulence. This was the first indication that the flight was encountering any difficulty in accomplishing a normal letdown and approach to the airport. In response, Annette Radio asked the flight to report its altitude, but there was no reply. After repeated calls to the flight Annette Radio issued an alert at 1401. It was estimated that the flight at the time of its last radio contact had aboard 9 hours and 16 minutes of fuel. At approximately 1430 the Civil Aeronautics Board was notified, and a search by air, land, and sea was immediately begun. However, adverse weather conditions retarded the search to such a degree that the wreckage was not located until 5 days after the accident October 31, 1947. It was found that the airplane had crashed on the north slope of Tamgas Mountain, approximately 8 miles east of Annette Island Airport and 8 miles east of the south course of the Annette radio range.