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Cessna 206 Crashes Downtown Anchorage Tuesday

fabricfan

Registered User
Barrow, Alaska
It looks like a child was lost, God rest his/her soul.

1 dead, 4 hurt after small plane crashes in Alaska
By RACHEL D'ORO (AP) – 1 hour ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A small airplane crashed in a busy business district near downtown during rush hour Tuesday, killing a small child and injuring the four other people onboard, authorities said.

Bystanders rushed to help those onboard the Cessna 206 after it clipped the roof of a motel and crashed in front of an unoccupied former car lot office, sparking a fire, shortly after 5 p.m. No other injuries were reported.

"It was the citizens who did the work and pulled people out," said police Lt. Dave Parker.

A witness, Hunter Brosh, said a girl about 10 years old was among those pulled out alive. Brosh was one of the motorists who jumped out of their cars to help get people out of the burning plane.

Parker said at least one of the injured was flown to a Seattle hospital.

The identities and hometowns of those onboard were not yet known, said Jennifer Rodi, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator. The single-engine plane was registered to Cavner and Julian Inc., a guide and outfitting business based in Port Alsworth, Alaska. No one with the business could be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Rodi said it was too early to say what caused the crash.

The aircraft went down after departing Merrill Field about a mile away. Rodi said it was unknown who was flying the plane or if a flight plan had been filed.

She said the four survivors were critically injured. However, Brosh said the girl onboard was able to unbuckle herself before she was helped out of the wreckage.

One witness, Adan Hernandez, said he was riding his bicycle when he heard the plane above him. The aircraft started to wobble before disappearing beyond the motel and making a thudding sound, said Hernandez, who took photos of the crash site. A small, cone-shaped piece of the aircraft landed in the motel's parking lot.

Brosh was driving to a guitar lesson and had stopped at a nearby intersection when he heard a loud noise behind him. He swung his head back as the plane slammed into the ground. People started to pour out of their cars and run to the aircraft.

Brosh said the plane burst into flames while those on board were still being extricated.

People starting running over with fire extinguishers. At one point, Brosh heard some of those helping exclaim, "You're spraying on the baby."

A man and a woman onboard appeared very hurt, he said. The woman's mouth was full of blood and it appeared her teeth were knocked out, he said.

For Brosh, the experience was an "adrenaline thing," he said, as he stood outside the yellow police tape used as a barricade.

"I can't say I've ever helped people out of a burning plane," he said.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.





http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iImeWBx3jNzOyQyuAiDaV67MSTXQD9G2UII80
 
I've talked to them before at sport shows. They seemed to have a very well run business did well on sheep and bear hunts. As I remember they had the 206 and a Cub or two.

A very sad situation.
 
StewartB said:
If not for the actions of passers by this tragedy would likely have been worse.

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=12578323

Wow.

They sure tried hard, bet they don't have hair on their arms since they kept trying long after that fire got huge, without proper protection gear on... Short sleeves.....

Only been around a 5 gal plastic jug burning and 15 feet away was too close.....

http://www.adn.com/2010/06/01/v-gal...03401/plane-crash-30878-06-01-2010-181609.html

http://www.adn.com/2010/06/01/1303320/five-hurt-as-plane-hits-car-dealership.html
 
There are definitely some heros in those photos.

If that was in some other U.S. cities, people would call 911 and keep on walking. I salute those people and I would like to think we would all do that for one another. I know I would.
 
My thoughts as well as I sifted through the photos in ADN this morning, imagine standing in that heat and the thought that at any minute that whole thing could go up with a bang but for the sake of another's life you push on. A true testament to Alaskans. Sad though that a 4 year old had to perish, I'm sure that weighs heavily on the rescuers hearts.
Tedd
 
ya know....

I never did look at all the pictures till now, BUT...

did he have the aft fuselage loaded with lumber as I see pulled out & piled here in this picture plus all the people & fuel????????... or everyone sitting on the lumber... or????

had read about it being real tail low after takeoff, and the child in back entrapped or such..........

you can also see the trim tab on elevator all the way to stop....

PlaneDSC_0621.67945.original.standalone.prod_affiliate.7.JPG



http://www.adn.com/2010/06/01/v-gal...3428/plane-crash-30878-06-01-2010-181609.html
 
anchorage crash

Hard to say about the 2x4s. with full tanks a 200 lb man 150 lb woman and two small kids, it might have been able to pack 30 or so 2x4s and full fuel ( just off the top of my head).

A legally loaded 206 can be bouncing the nosewheel off the pavement unless full forward yoke is held while taxiing. One of the unfortunate things about a 206 is their ability to fly away with about anything you can get into them, with never a complaint, unless the fan stops, and then it all unravels.

It is sure not unusual to have a mixed load like that leaving Merrill or Hood or any other bush departure airports. Most of us have done it; some of us have done it routinely, and got away with it, but never had to deal with a busted crank or any other catastrophic stoppage.

What a tragedy for this family and their friends..
 
Somewhere I saw that the wood came off the building as they were trying to put the fire out. If it was in the plane it would have burned.

As a parent with a 9,7,3 year old kids and wants them to fly this hits hard. I feel awful for the 4 year old but have to remember that 4 were saved with heroic help from the bystanders but how they must have felt knowing they couldn't get the last child.

How about a 48 hour period of no speculation on the causes of crashes and instead direct the energy to thoughts and prayers for those involved and maybe thinking how we would help if we were in the rescuer's shoes?

It seems like pilots have to jump in and speculate and figure out some cause so we can assure ourselves that we would never be in the same situation.
 
jprax said:
Somewhere I saw that the wood came off the building as they were trying to put the fire out.

you can see the rest of the wood piled still in the plane in that picture too.........

A legally loaded 206 can be bouncing the nosewheel off the pavement unless full

the fish haulers used to have gar-aero big mains, a landis big nose fork with an 8:50... and have the tail cone dragging and the nose wheel on the ground with the mains splayed out when they delivered a load all at the same time ..... but no building to climb over,,,,,,
 
Wow. This could have been a whole lot worse, but I'm sure sorry to hear it!

sj
 
My heart aches for the family!

Unbelievable effort by all those there! WOW! Hero doesn't even begin to describe these people. They really put themselves out there.

I hope the remaining passengers recover fully and there is no further loss.

cafi
 
--- THE NATIONAL GUARD PRESS RELEASE ---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 9, 2010

By Airman 1st Class Christopher Gross

3rd Wing Public Affairs


Guardsman and Active-Duty Airman perform Heroic Actions During Plane Crash

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska – An Alaska Air National Guardsman and active-duty Airman from Elmendorf Air Force Base jumped into action and put themselves in harm’s way June 1 while rescuing survivors from a Cessna 206 plane crash.

A plane that took off shortly after 5 p.m. from Merrill Field went down moments later into the side of a Fairview building, injuring four people and killing one.

“I could hear an aircraft coming over the top of me,” said Capt. Erik Boltman of the Alaska Air National Guard, who was sitting in traffic a few blocks over from the crash site. “Next thing I knew I just heard this really loud thud, and my truck shook.”

Captain Boltman said he could see smoke coming from the front of the aircraft and tracked it by where everybody was looking. Once he located the aircraft and parked, he immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher from his vehicle and rushed over to the site.

He said people were already there attempting to break out windows and using fire extinguishers to keep the fire that was spreading on the floor of the plane under control.


They were finally able to pull the door off the hinges with the pilot and father, 34 year-old Preston Cavner, still inside the door window when they carried it away. The pilot was covered in blood from colliding with the dashboard during impact, said the captain.

While they were pulling the pilot out, Captain Boltman said he could hear the girls inside screaming “the fire is coming the fire is coming, it’s burning my feet.”

As they were pulling the pilot a safe distance away from the plane, more bystanders rushed to the scene. Staff Sgt. Jacob Gibson was one of those people who rushed in to take action.

Sergeant Gibson was on his way home taking a different route than normal. He left the Government Hill Gate on this day and headed downtown merging onto Sixth Avenue.

“I never ever go that way, we usually head out Boniface because it takes us down to Northern Lights,” said Sergeant Gibson. “I was sitting in traffic downtown at a stop light kicking myself (because I thought I would have beaten traffic.) About that time I saw a cop three lanes over in the far left lane, he cut on his lights and started to fight to try and get through traffic and then I saw people pointing.”

When Sergeant Gibson saw the black clouds of smoke bellowing out of the aircraft he said he immediately pulled in behind a gas station, not knowing what had happened. As he was running around the fence he saw the crash and ran to the burning plane.

When he got inside the plane he saw 16 year-old Rachel Zientek in one of the back seats. He moved the seatbelt out of the way and pulled her out handing her off to a group of people, two of whom were Captain Boltman and Anchorage Police Officer Will Cameron. They took the 16 year-old girl to safety while Sergeant Gibson went back to try and to free the mother, 32 year-old Stacie Cavner, who was sandwiched between the front seat and the dashboard.

“I grabbed up underneath her arms and was trying to pull her free, the flames were all around her and there were about two people with fire extinguishers,” said Sergeant Gibson. “I couldn’t physically pull her out (because) she was pinned so bad, and (then) this green mushroom cloud came out and it hit me and the cop behind me. I dropped to the ground and I rolled out of the way so the cop could get in there.”

Officer Cameron stepped in and attempted to pull her out the same way Sergeant Gibson had, he blindly felt inside to feel what the restriction was and tried cutting it till the fire singed him enough that he dropped his knife, that’s when he planted both feet on the aircraft and heaved the 32 year-old mother out to safety.

“I think that needed to happen, because five seconds after he did, (the plane) mushroomed into flames (and) cleared everyone out of there,” said Sergeant Gibson.

Once everyone that could be saved was pulled to safety, they began treating them until professional medical care arrived.

Sergeant Gibson said a lady had aluminum blankets and started passing them out to cover the wounds of the burned victims. That’s when he wrapped the legs of the 16 year-old girl and began talking to her trying to keep her calm.

The crash left the father, mother, 2 year-old son, Hudson, and the 16 year-old girl alive, most with severe burns. Tragically, 4 year-old son, Miles, was killed on impact.

Days after the crash, the Airmen described what was going through their minds while they were responding.

“Adrenaline. Fear. It’s like seeing your worst fear in the world. Being trapped in an airplane and it’s on fire,” said Captain Boltman. “I’m glad we got everyone out in time that could be saved.”

Sergeant Gibson said there wasn’t too much going through his mind, he saw what was going on and things because focused, “there is a fire, get people out.”

Rachel Zientek’s father, Mike, said he would like to thank Sergeant Gibson, Captain Boltman, Officer Cameron, the Anchorage Police Department and emergency responders for everything that they did to save his daughter’s life and the lives of those who survived.

“I just can’t’ thank them enough for what they did, they saved my daughter’s life. The way they quickly responded, time was definitely a factor and I just really appreciate the way Staff Sgt. Gibson and (Officer) Will Cameron went into the plane and pulled out my daughter, I just really appreciate that.” said Mr. Mike Zientek. “I’m just so thankful that she’s alive and the injuries we can deal with.”

Not even a week before this incident, Sergeant Gibson was involved in another in Girdwood, Alaska, about an hour from Anchorage.

As he and his wife, Jessi, were coming back from some kayaking, they decided to stop at a local Girdwood bakery.

At the bakery he overheard a girl outside giving directions and he had an internal instinct that something was wrong.

So he rushed outside to find out what was going on when the girl had told him a man in the back had a heart attack. Sergeant Gibson ran to where the man was and immediately started CPR.

He said a policeman came in at the same time he did and pulled out an Automated External Defibrillator, and began attending to the victim. Once EMTs arrived, they helped move the victim to the kitchen and continued treatment.

Sergeant Gibson and the policeman performed chest compressions between shocks for 45 minutes straight, life flight arrived on scene and tried to help as well, but they said there was nothing else that we could have done, they were unable to get a steady pulse for life-flight transport.

“Physical stuff always heals, but it’s learning to live with memories, that’s when it doesn’t matter if you’re in the plane, standing by or getting fire extinguishers. You’re always second guessing, until you learn to live with it,” said Sergeant Gibson.

While stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, Sergeant Gibson was a volunteer for Pennington County’s Search and Rescue team. That experience served him well during these recent events.

For the four years Sergeant Gibson’s wife, Jessi, has known him, she said he has always been there when help was needed.

“I wish I could be more like that,” said Jessi. “He’ll help anybody.”

Preston and Stacie Cavner are being treated at a hospital in Oregon. Rachel Zientek is recovering at a hospital in Washington.
 
LETS HELP THAT FAMILY!!

After just living through this same type of thing with my father crashing his Supercub I understand the feelings and grief that family will be going through. May God have some mercy on their dealings with the aftermath. Is their any fund or donation thing set up for the family? If not I would like to start one. They can use some help like that right now, and that is the last thing on their minds right now. If anyone knows if there is something set up now please post it, if not I will set up a account with a local bank for all of us to donate to. Let me know if anyone has any ideas to help with this. Lets get this thing rolling!!
 
PA12,

Thanks so much for your care, it is indeed what Alaska is all about! And sorry to hear about your Dad!
Tonight my truck died in the middle of the road--twice--and both times guys jumped out to help me push it off the road, just like the Alaskans that helped pull them out of the already burning airplane. IT's a good place Alaska.

There is a fund set up I believe for the Cavners, you can find it Here:
http://prestonandstaciefund.wordpress.com/

And you can keep updated on their condition on facebook Here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=121833631184990&v=info


A terrible accident and the hardest part for them is yet to come, when they finally come out of sedation and are able to understand what all has happened.

Keep Praying,

RB
 
RedBaron said:
..
Tonight my truck died in the middle of the road--twice--and both times guys jumped out to help me push it off the road, ....

RB

you still kicking that gas tank trying to make that fuel pump run a little longer?? ;-)
 
I have a friend that tried to takeoff from a remote strip with his camp and a dead caribou. He may have been within the limits of his plane but not for the length of the strip he was taking off from. I told him like I tell everyone that asks questions about gross weight and airplanes, in most cases it is way cheaper to make TWO trips instead of one. I might not be the most experienced or smartest pilot flying but I have limitations that I set for myself and my airplane and I DO NOT violate them.
 
Reading the commments yesterday in ADN, pissed me off. That guy lost his son, I couldn't even imagine what that must be like.
 
I've talked to Preston and Stacie at sport shows a couple of times and must have given them my business card once. I get periodic e-mails on their hunts and the last one was a month or so ago - the first one since the accident. There was no mention of the subject here and they seem to be booking hunts and fishing trips for the coming season.

Most of us who have been flying for a while have had friends or family that have died in plane accidents. It is always tough and something we never really get over but I guess life goes on and they seem to be working on that. Better to offer sympathy than criticism .....
 
Most of us who have been flying for a while have had friends or family that have died in plane accidents. It is always tough and something we never really get over but I guess life goes on and they seem to be working on that. Better to offer sympathy than criticism .....

I've lost lots of friends in lots of ways. They all hurt. And yet the sun rises the next day. I sincerely hope this family finds their way back to happiness.

Stewart
 
There is a lesson to be learned here, but not by the father flying this plane, he has already paid the ultimate price for his mistake.....
 
Well said Stewart... we, like many of us, live similar lives. Race cars, street cars, airplanes, gliders, parachuting, heart failure,annurisms, cancer.... etc. **** happens unfortuately and then life for the survivors, as best it can be, goes on.

If there is anyone here that has never flown their airplane a pound above gross.. I salute you, but I sure can't throw a stone.
 
I'm sure there are a few pilots on this site that spent a couple(or more) thousand hours flying 206/207s delivering mail/pax to the villages. The 207 has a nose baggage compartment, put some wt. in the nose and load down the back. Most everyone who flew them has a "you should of seen the load I hauled out of" story...The 206 has a hard time keeping the CG forward when you load it up with passengers and freight....long story short is.... you lose an engine or get iced up with your CG that far aft....We used to take(in the 206)the copilot yoke and seat out and load the heavy stuff up front. Bottom line, on the longevity scale, how many times are you going to get away with being that heavy and that far aft? This guy chose to take that gamble with his family on board and paid a horrible price....Like Torch said "make two trips" cost more in fuel but......
 
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