Investigation into fatal plane crash reveals mechanical problem December 24th, 2020 |
It was a blustery fall day at Tom Madsen Airport. A PenAir flight from Anchorage was making its second attempt to land in Unalaska. Gusting tail-winds made the landing extra challenging. As the plane touched down it failed to slow down, broke through the airport s chain link fence, crossed a road and hit a rocky embankment just short of the frigid waters of Iliuliuk Bay.
Steve Ranney was among the 39 passengers on Flight 3296. He s a commercial pilot with 20 years experience and still trying to understand what went wrong that day.
Mechanical problems found with plane that crashed in Alaska
December 20, 2020
ANCHORAGE, Alaska Federal investigators have found problems with an anti-skid device in an airplane that crashed in Alaska last year, killing one person and injuring four others on Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands, according to documents.
The documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday said the plane’s systems showed signs of a mechanical issue that could have affected interplay between its brakes and its anti-skid controls, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Investigators said there were crossed wires on the left side of the plane. The manufacturer of the anti-skid system, Crane, said in the document that the crossed wires could have prevented the brakes on the plane’s left side from working.
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Steve Ranney was among the 39 passengers on Flight 3296. He s a commercial pilot with 20 years experience and still trying to understand what went wrong that day. I just don t think that we can flat accept that there s going to be accidents like this, Ranney said. I think that s really one of the more important things. I know people make mistakes, but in the air carrier world these things should not happen. This shouldn t have happened at all.
Ranney is still recovering from his injuries. A passenger to his left fared much worse: 38-year-old David Oltman was fatally injured in the crash. There were at least nine people hurt. Oltman s death on Oct. 17, 2019 was the second fatality for a commercial airline in the U.S. in the last decade.
Mechanical problems found with plane that crashed in Alaska
by The Associated Press
Last Updated Dec 17, 2020 at 3:56 pm EDT
ANCHORAGE, Alaska Federal investigators have found problems with an anti-skid device in an airplane that crashed in Alaska last year, killing one person and injuring four others on Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands, according to documents.
The documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday said the plane’s systems showed signs of a mechanical issue that could have affected interplay between its brakes and its anti-skid controls, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Investigators said there were crossed wires on the left side of the plane. The manufacturer of the anti-skid system, Crane, said in the document that the crossed wires could have prevented the brakes on the plane’s left side from working.