AVIATION/ NTSB REPORTS ON 2010 GCI OTTER CRASH IN ALASKA

The NTSB has issued their Final Report into the crash of a GCI COMMUNICATIONS DHC-3T Turbine Otter in Alaska in August 2010.  Former Alaska US Senator Ted Stevens was among the 5 fatalities. On August 9, 2010, amphibious float-equipped de Havilland DHC-3T airplane, N455A, impacted mountainous, tree-covered terrain about 10 nautical miles NE of Aleknagik, Alaska. The Pilot and 4 passengers received fatal injuries, and 4 passengers received serious injuries. The flight was operated by GCI Communication Corp. from a GCI-owned private lodge on the shore of Lake Nerka and was enroute to a remote sport fishing camp about 52 nm SE on the Nushagak River, when the accident took place. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of this accident was the Pilot’s temporary unresponsiveness for reasons that could not be established from the available information. Contributing to the investigation’s inability to determine exactly what occurred in the final minutes of the flight was the lack of a Cockpit Recorder system with the ability to capture audio, images, and parametric data. The NTSB noted that fatigue, stress or a  medical condition could have been a factor in the Pilot’s temporary unresponsiveness.  However, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether these factors played a role in the accident. Full details on the Report can be found on the NTSB website.