Ketchikan Air Service

Prior to departing on a scheduled air taxi flight with two passengers, the pilot obtained a weather briefing that included airmets for mountain obscuration, IFR and icing conditions. VFR flight was not recommended. A company flight that departed before the accident flight, returned to the company base due to low ceilings, after the accident flight departed. The flight departed on a VFR flight plan and encountered low ceilings in the area of mountainous terrain. The pilot began maneuvering around the terrain and during a period of obscuration, collided with several trees. The company operations manual specifies that the pilot is responsible for the conduct of the flight; however, procedures are included that detail the dispatch responsibilities, dissemination of weather information, and the director of operations responsibility to monitor and cancel flights if necessary.

The single engine airplane was returning to its base in Ketchikan following maintenance in Thorne Bay. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the engine lost power, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. While landing on water, a control wire snapped, causing the airplane to nose down in the water, coming to rest upside down. All three occupants were rescued by coastguard 20 minutes later and the aircraft sank.

The single engine airplane has to be ferried back to its base following repairs after it suffered an incident last February 1992. It crashed upon takeoff in unknown circumstances. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

The pilot planned to land at a seaplane base that was located in a bowl shaped cove. During the landing, the aircraft touched down long on water swells and the pilot elected to go around. Witnesses reported that during the go-around, the pilot initiated a steep turn while still at low altitude to avoid buildings and rising terrain. However, the aircraft entered a steep descent and crashed on a wooden walkway along the shoreline near the seaplane dock. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the aircraft or engine was evident. The pilot was killed and both passengers were seriously injured.