Weather may have been a factor in April 8th’s plane crash on Admiralty Island. The crash killed the pilot and two passengers and badly injured another person on board.
The Sunrise Aviation flight began in Wrangell and was headed to Angoon, about 110 miles to the northwest.
A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report says pilot David Galla had changed course due to low clouds and reduced visibility.
Shaun Williams is a safety board investigator.
“From what we’ve been told when he spoke with the director of operations at Sunrise (Aviation), he did turn around because he could not get through Pybus Bay,” Williams said. “So now we just want to verify everything and verify how the weather was at the time.”
Pybus Bay is on the south end of Admiralty Island, about four-fifths of the way from Wrangell to Angoon.
Williams said information from the plane’s GPS unit and a weather study could provide more details of the conditions and route change.
Pieces of the Cessna 206 were helicoptered to Juneau for examination. Williams said no obvious problems were found.
“The engine and propeller have both been retained for shipment down to Mobile, Alabama, for further examination and testing at a later date,” said Williams.
In addition to the pilot, the crash killed Greg Scheff and Thomas Siekawitch of Wrangell.
The injured passenger, Morgan Enright of Ketchikan, remains at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
A website post from her mother Friday says Enright is improving. She is breathing on her own and recognizing family members.
Medical center staff could not be immediately reached for an update of her status. As of Thursday, she remained in critical condition.
Ed Schoenfeld is Regional News Director for CoastAlaska, a consortium of public radio stations in Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg and Wrangell.
He primarily covers Southeast Alaska regional topics, including the state ferry system, transboundary mining, the Tongass National Forest and Native corporations and issues.
He has also worked as a manager, editor and reporter for the Juneau Empire newspaper and Juneau public radio station KTOO. He’s also reported for commercial station KINY in Juneau and public stations KPFA in Berkley, WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and WUHY in Philadelphia. He’s lived in Alaska since 1979 and is a contributor to Alaska Public Radio Network newscasts, the Northwest (Public Radio) News Network and National Native News. He is a board member of the Alaska Press Club. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he lives in Douglas.
