Flight Safety Information August 11, 2010 - No. 160 In This Issue Bad weather delayed rescue in Alaska crash for 12 hours... Fighter jet makes emergency landing at Oklahoma City airport United jet makes emergency landing in Omaha Aviation safety in Alaska improves, but still hazardous DA: Jet Blue Attendant Endangered Crews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bad weather delayed rescue in Alaska crash for 12 hours NEW: Former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe in critical condition Survivors were huddled in fuselage for 12 hours, witnesses say Investigators are finding weather, terrain in this part of Alaska difficult Five killed and four injured have been identified; Ted Stevens among dead (CNN) -- Brutal terrain and bad weather on a remote Alaska mountain kept survivors waiting 12 hours for rescue after a plane crash that killed former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and four others, officials and witnesses said Tuesday. "The weather was very challenging for those responding," said Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators will be on the scene Wednesday morning. Pilots flying over the crash site said the amphibious DeHavilland DHC-3T Otter flew into the side of the mountain, which has a 40-degree slope, on Monday night and skidded about 200 feet, CNN's Casey Wian reported. The pilots didn't believe anyone on board had survived, but four did. There was no fire on the scene, Hersman said at a news conference. The area was so rugged and rocky that rescuers airlifted in a physician with a satellite phone, and the doctor had to hike 1,000 feet to reach the site, she said. Volunteers tended to the wounded overnight until more help could arrive, officials told the AP. One of the survivors was outside the fuselage when the doctor arrived, Wian reported. The cause of the crash was not known late Tuesday, but Maj. Guy Hayes of the Alaska National Guard said weather will certainly be considered. "Poor weather always remains a factor when you are out here ... weather can change drastically," Hayes told CNN. The crash claimed the lives of passengers both young and old. The Alaska Department of Public Safety identified the dead as Stevens, of Anchorage, Alaska; pilot Theron "Terry" Smith, 62, of Eagle River, Alaska; lobbyist William "Bill" Phillips Sr. of the Washington, D.C., area; GCI executive Dana Tindall, 48, of Anchorage, Alaska; and her daughter Corey Tindall, 16, of Anchorage, Alaska. The bodies have been recovered and sent to Anchorage. Injured were William "Willy" Phillips Jr., 13, son of Bill Phillips Sr.; Sean O'Keefe, 54; his son, Kevin O'Keefe; and lobbyist Jim Morhard, Alexandria, Virginia. Alaska's Federal Aviation Administration office said two survivors had serious injuries and two had minor injuries and were hospitalized in Anchorage. Sean O'Keefe was listed in critical condition, and Kevin O'Keefe was in serious condition late Tuesday, said Kirsten Schultz, a spokeswoman for Providence Alaska Medical Center. The aircraft, on a fishing trip, crashed around 7 p.m. Monday about 17 miles north of Dillingham in the southwestern area of the state, authorities said. When the nine people onboard had not arrived at a camp on time, the search began. The pilot was not required to file a flight plan, authorities said. The Dillingham region, near the Bering Sea southwest of Anchorage, is rugged terrain surrounded by mountains. Storms there don't move quickly during this time of year but aren't as strong as those in winter, said Rob Marciano, CNN meteorologist. "We haven't seen visibility improve much, so fog is an issue, and we haven't seen much in the way of that clearing," he said. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Paul Takemoto said the plane was registered to GCI Communications Corp., based in Anchorage. Bush pilots commonly use such planes. FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said the plane took off at 2 p.m. Monday from a GCI corporate site on Lake Nerka, heading to the Agulowak Lodge on Lake Aleknagik, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Because of its vast size, air travel is common in Alaska, often through perilous weather. Stevens expressed his own fears after a 1978 crash that killed his first wife and four others. "Plane crashes are the occupational hazard of Alaska politics," Stevens told The Washington Post in 1979. The Post added, "He said he often felt as if one's number had to come up eventually, and even though he had been a fighter pilot in World War II, the prospect of flying around in his campaign frightened him." In 1972, House Majority Leader Hale Boggs and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich were traveling in a plane that is thought to have crashed in Alaska. It was never found. Nick Begich was the father of one of Alaska's current U.S. senators, Mark Begich. Stevens, 86, was remembered Tuesday as a "lion who retreated before nothing" and for being a guiding light in the formation of the 49th state. Tributes poured in all day for the hard-nosed Stevens, 86, who was the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate's history and a champion for Alaska. "Though small of stature, Ted Stevens seemed larger than life. For he built Alaska. And stood for Alaska. And he fought for Alaskans," Gov. Sean Parnell said at a news conference. "How can we summarize six decades of service?" President Barack Obama extended his condolences to the families, including that of Stevens, who flew in support of the Flying Tigers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. "A decorated World War II veteran, Senator Ted Stevens devoted his career to serving the people of Alaska and fighting for our men and women in uniform," Obama said in a written statement. News of the latest crash reverberated across the state and country. Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, said Stevens fought tenaciously for Alaska. "In our land of towering mountains and larger-than-life characters, none were larger than the man who in 2000 was voted Alaskan of the Century. This decorated World War II pilot was a warrior and a true champion of Alaska," Palin said in a statement. Stevens earned the nickname "Uncle Ted" and a reputation as one of the most effective of all pork-barrel lawmakers, a senator who funneled billions of federal dollars to his home state. His footprint can be seen all over Alaska. In Anchorage, where most people fly into the Alaska, a large sign proclaims "Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport." Born November 18, 1923, Stevens graduated from UCLA and Harvard Law School and moved to Alaska in the 1950s to work as a lawyer. He was elected to the state's House of Representatives in 1964 and 1966, and he was elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time in 1968. In July 2008, a federal grand jury indicted Stevens for making false statements on financial disclosure forms. He was convicted on October 27, 2008. During the trial, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich said Stevens hid "hundreds of thousands of dollars of freebies" he received from oil industry executive Bill Allen's company, VECO, and from Allen himself. Many of the allegedly free services were given as part of the renovation of Stevens' Alaska home, prosecutors said. The next month, Stevens lost a bid for re-election to Democratic challenger Mark Begich, then the mayor of Anchorage. Later, a federal judge later dismissed Stevens' conviction, citing prosecutorial misconduct. Stevens' defenders proclaimed his innocence and said he was vindicated. Olympic gold medalist Donna de Varona, who was a character witness at Stevens' trial, remembered him for improving the U.S. Olympics team's organization and championing Title IX, which provided equality for girls in the classroom and sports world. "He thought everyone should have an equal opportunity," de Varona, a broadcaster and consultant, told CNN. The Stevens family released a statement later Tuesday. "Alaska and the nation he so loved have lost a great man. We have lost a tremendous husband and father and grandfather. He loved Alaska with all his heart. He was a guiding light through statehood and the development of the 49th state. Now that light is gone but the warmth and radiance of his life and his work will shine forever in the last frontier. His legacy is the 49th star on the American flag." Parnell ordered state and U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Stevens. "This state is in mourning," said Sharon Leighnow, Parnell's press secretary. "Everybody has a Ted Stevens story." Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fighter jet makes emergency landing at Oklahoma City airport An Oklahoma Air National Guard F-16C fighter jet made an emergency landing at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City after encountering problems in flight and dropping empty fuel tanks in a field near Chickasha, officials said. An Oklahoma Air National Guard fighter jet made a safe emergency landing in Oklahoma City today after encountering problems during a training mission near Fort Sill and dropping its external fuel tanks near Chickasha, officials said. The F-16C Fighting Falcon radioed Will Rogers World Airport requesting an emergency landing about 3 p.m. and landed a few minutes later without incident, airport spokeswoman Karen Carney said. The plane taxied off the runway safely. The single-engine, single-seat jet was on a routine training mission in southwest Oklahoma when the engine trouble began, the National Guard said in a news release. It was not carrying live weapons. The pilot, whose name was not released, dropped empty 325-gallon fuel tanks in an open field near Chickasha as part of standard engine trouble protocol, and no one on the ground was hurt, nor was any property damaged, guard officials said. The Air Force will investigate the incident, officials said. The National Guard and Amber fire officials will coordinate efforts to recover the tanks. The $65 million fighter-bomber is based in Tulsa and assigned to the 138th Fighter Wing. Read more: http://www.newsok.com/ Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ United jet makes emergency landing in Omaha OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - United Airlines says one of its jetliners made an emergency landing in Omaha after the pilot noticed an engine vibration. Spokeswoman Sarah Massier said Tuesday that Flight 230 landed at 11:45 p.m. Monday, cutting short its flight from Denver to Des Moines, Iowa. She says it landed without incident, and no injuries were reported among the 118 passengers and five crew members. Some of the passengers were bused to Des Moines, some sought seats on other Des Moines flights and some spent the night in Omaha, at United's expense. Massier didn't have totals. She says mechanics examined the twin-engine Airbus 319, but she didn't know whether repairs had been made or whether the plane had yet left Omaha's Eppley Airfield. UAL Corp. is United Airlines' parent company. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . Aviation safety in Alaska improves, but still hazardous By Alan Levin, USA TODAY Flying in Alaska has always been more dangerous. Just as the vast glaciers and mountains of Alaska are America's last frontier, the state has also been known as the last bastion of bush flying, the practice of pushing planes through bad weather and terrain in wilderness areas. Former senator Ted Stevens died in a crash on a foggy mountainside in southwest Alaska on Monday. The plane crashed with such force that it left a 300-foot gash on the slope, the Associated Press reported, citing the National Transportation Safety Board. Stevens is not the first politician to perish in an aviation accident in the state. Statistics show it is more hazardous - sometimes significantly so - than flying in the 48 contiguous states. However, those statistics have been improving in recent years, in part because of Stevens' interest in flying and his ability to champion funding projects for the state while he was its senator. "If you look at fatal accidents, they have come way down," said Steve Wallace, the former chief of accident investigation at the Federal Aviation Administration. One of the key factors in improving safety in Alaska has been the introduction in the late 1990s of a satellite navigation system that gave pilots precise information on their location and nearby dangerous obstructions without having to install expensive radars and navigation beacons. Stevens championed the system and helped obtain funding for it. The system worked so well that it is being adopted for the entire country. It was not clear Tuesday whether the corporate plane carrying Stevens and others was equipped with the new technology, which is known as ADS-B. Even with the improvements, Alaska lags the rest of the nation in safety and has been the scene of numerous accidents. Perhaps the most notable to date had been the disappearance of House Majority Leader Hale Boggs and Alaska representative Nick Begich. The two were flying from Anchorage to Juneau in a Cessna 310 C on Oct. 16, 1972, and never reached their destination. Their plane has never been found. Begich's son, Mark Begich, narrowly beat Stevens in 2008 to take away his Senate seat. Famous aviator Wiley Post and American humorist Will Rogers died on Aug. 15, 1935, while attempting to take off near Point Barrow, Alaska. Bruce Landsberg, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's Air Safety Foundation, said there were more than twice as many general aviation crashes in Alaska from 2004 through 2008 as compared with the nation as a whole. The rate of fatal accidents is also higher in Alaska, though not by as much. There were 1.35 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours during the period in Alaska, compared with 1.12 per 100,000 nationally, he said. The reasons for the difference, Landsberg said, are the lack of aviation infrastructure, the poor weather and the types of flights. Floatplanes, such as the one Stevens was taking to a fishing camp, are more dangerous, he said. Instead of smooth runways, they take off and land on water, and they often operate in remote areas without weather reporting. Michael Stockhill, a retired accident investigator with the NTSB, said he expected to find a "cowboy" mentality when he worked as a consultant in Alaska several years ago. But he didn't. "They've gotten a long ways from the bush pilot thing that they used to have up there," he said. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DA: Jet Blue Attendant Endangered Crews QUEENS-A 38-year-old Jet Blue attendant en route from Pittsburgh to John F. Kennedy Airport has been charged with recklessly endangering the lives of ground crews by opening an emergency exit door and deploying the emergency chute after landing in New York. Steven Slater, 38, of 124 Beach 128th St., Belle Harbor, Queens, was arraigned Tuesday morning before Queens Criminal Court Judge Mary O'Donohue on charges of first- and second-degree reckless endangerment, second and fourth-degree criminal mischief and third-degree criminal trespass and ordered to be held on $2,500 bail. He will return to court on Sept. 7. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison. Slater, who is a Jet Blue flight attendant, was aboard Jet Blue Flight 1052, which was en route from Pittsburgh to JFK Airport, on Monday at approximately 12:15 p.m., when he is alleged to have activated the aircraft emergency escape slide on door R-2, following an alleged incident involving a passenger. The district attorney further said that, according to the charges, Jet Blue security has alleged that the defendants actions caused damage to the emergency escape slide and caused a dangerous condition to the ground crew working below the aircraft. The emergency escape slide deploys at 3,000 pounds of pressure per square inch and causes a risk of serious physical injury or death if it strikes people working under the aircraft. Furthermore, the cost to replace the emergency escape slide is in excess of $25,000, according to Jet Blue security. Finally, according to the charges, the defendant admitted to Port Authority Police Officers that he intentionally activated the aircraft emergency slide and exited the aircraft via the emergency slide. The defendant allegedly further admitted that he walked on the aeronautical area until he was able to find an unlocked door to exit to the street area. The defendant was arrested by officers of the Port Authority Police Department. 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