Second Alaska Crash, Same Plane Maker, Same Charter Company

Alaska Midair Crash Report
An actual photograph from a passenger aboard the de Havilland Beaver of the De Havilland Otter just before it struck the Beaver. All aboard the Beaver, including the passenger who had just taken the photograph were killed in the crash.

After last weekend’s midair collision between a de Havilland Beaver and a Taquan Air de Havilland turbine Otter, that killed six and injured 10, employees at the longtime Alaska air charter company were still shaken. The pilot of the Taquan Air Otter survived that crash. One of the plane’s nine passengers died. 

Today Taquan Air is mourning the loss of a pilot and passenger, who perished in another crash just days after the deadly midair.

The Taquan Air plane that crashed on Monday (May 20, 2019) was a de Havilland Beaver, the same type of plane that was involved in the Saturday midair collision. That Beaver was being flown by a private commercial operator.

The crash took place on a commuter flight, not a sightseeing flight, as was the case in last weekend’s midair collision. Monday’s fatal mishap occurred in the extreme Southeast part of the state, in Metlakatla, Alaska. It had departed from Ketchikan, near the site of the midair collision on Saturday.

The names of the victims have not been released. The NTSB is investigating.

Going Direct NY Times Alaska Midair Coverage is Scary

Isabel Goyer

A commercial pilot, Isabel Goyer has been flying for more than 40 years, with hundreds of different aircraft in her logbook and thousands of hours. An award-winning aviation writer, photographer and editor, Ms. Goyer led teams at Sport Pilot, Air Progress and Flying before coming to Plane & Pilot in 2015.
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