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Oops, darn it...

Having done a LOT of low level surveillance flying in Alaska for many years, starting to fly in the lower 48 has been a real eye opener. Low level down here can be spooky!

MTV
 
“The Security Aviation Piper Navajo was confirmed to be chartered by Medevac Alaska, according to statements from both companies. Two Medevac Alaska crew members were on board, and no patients were being transported at the time”


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navaho security filed vfr ANC. to Seward . This makes me mad im pissed off another 2 medevac pro's are dead along with the pilot. flying into under the clouds on a dark night bad weather in a trench when could have gone over the top and or said nope not going weather is too bad.
 
This doesn't look good.

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I’m just so baffled by this. First, I have very close ties to Security Aviation. Seward has a GPS approach which is NA at night. According to other news source, another company turned down this flight. Seward is accessible by road. There are Medevac helo’s In the area. I hated going to Seward at night, and only did it a couple of times on bright, full moon nights. I’m sick to my stomach.
 
Mark
O am sick too and pissed off. WHat is the driving force to make us keep killing people and smashing into mountains and or crashing. Is it EGO, the almighty dollar driving these companies to make a buck. Guess what the ego is dead and millions just got spent for nothing. Very sad in today's world that this would even be a issue. Why would anyone i dont care how good you are fly a ifr airplane vfr at night into crap weather into a trench. There is absolutely no reason to ever do this LIFE SAFETY OF YOU AND YOUR CREW IS FIRST AND FOREMOST. Remember this summer we had another one Kill innocent people on a flight seeing trip into this very same area just a little further in and smashed into the mountain side in very low vis smoke from the forest fire. For what? OHHHH IM MAD.
 
A lot more I’d like to say, but I think it’s best that I wait for a while. So sorry for all who lost loved ones.
 
Pressure? Frankly, I think Pogo nailed it: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Sad deal. VFR in a really capable IFR machine.

RIP.

MTV
 
THIS is EXATLY what im talking about . RIsk analysis why in the hell would anyone try to go ahead and keep calling around for a medevac if one company already turned it down for weather , hey lets keep looking until we get kahoonies and company to fly anywhere antime any weather. I lay fault with the entity calling for the medevac the entity that sent the medevac and the pilot in command who did not say no.

AGAIN im really mad that we have now killed 2 more innocent people and a pilot killed himself. FOR WHAT ? the almighty dollar guess what you lost. I know im being harsh but dammit we need to be harsh this is absolutely asinine this keeps happening. Feelings get hurt . Guess what PEOPLE ARE DEAD now because someone did not have the courage to say NO!

John Perry
 
Most of the medical people I know don't do it for the money!! They do it because it is their profession. Do you really think they went out just to make a few bucks??? How about having some respect for the people involved knowing that they have a job to do. Save the sideline BS until we have all the facts and then make it a productive discussion. I know you are just venting John but it seems every time a plane crashes people are throwing stones without ALL the facts.
DENNY
 
Denny,
You take my being mad out of context. I know the medics are not getting rich . but how much does a medevac flight cost ? $$$$$$$$$. Yes it is about money or these companies would not fly if they were not making money. The weather was crap . filed vfr and flew under the clouds at night in a trench when you have a IFR airplane . IF the weather is so bad you cant go over the top DONT GO. GUess what? once again A pilot killed 2 innocent people.
Yeah i know families are destroyed lives lost. For that i am truly sorry and my heart goes out to them. The medical industry just lost 2 great professionals. We are now 1 pilot short. His family is hurting. I am trying to be nice about this but it has go to stop. We have the tools to look see and say NO. Not I think I can make it.

WHAT REALLY BAFFLES ME IS PROVIDENCE , BEING TURNED DOWN BY 2 OTHER MEDEVAC COMPANIES BECAUSE OF WEATHER AND YET THEY INSIST ON ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE BY CALLING ANOTHER GETTING ONE TO GO. WHEN THE FIRST ONE SAID NO WEATHER IS BAD THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IT!!!.
 
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I read that pilot was the director of operations for Security Aviation.

I have a home in Anchorage and one in Soldotna. I drive through that area 30-40 times a year. Most people are pretty familiar with Cooper Landing and the tall peaks around it.

That's a snug area and not a very direct route to Seward from Anchorage. I am really curious why that route was chosen. I also know Life Med and Guardian Flight both turned down the work.

This is within 10-15 air miles of where Scott Christy (Lake Hood Pilots Association) plowed in with his Maule last summer in the smoke with his wife and daughter.

It makes me wonder if the GPS maps are off there or if there is some other anomaly. Two experienced guys flying into the same set of rocks within 6 months is odd.
 
I have no idea what happened outside of Post #1423's alleged path/altitude and the consequences. The Sun sets around 4pm there with later twilight (any illumination can depend on degree of cloud cover to the SW). It gets real dark maybe 5-6pm depending on local clouds and low scud and phase of the Moon (now about 1/8th but needs to be elevated). So a look see over relatively flat terrain in VFR or MVFR is reasonable west of the mountains as depicted. Looking back a few days ago Seward reported some short-lived crap at a few hundred feet I recall seeing and layers above. Drivers on the road at that time will inform the NTSB on pass weather. The question then becomes what after an arrival and departure? Likely this SID or whatever that call it now to return IFR: https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/1912/10600SEWAR.PDF

I flew that VFR a few times for work before GPS was available and don't recall much wiggle room over a mile once in the various passes.

Gary
 
...That's a snug area and not a very direct route to Seward from Anchorage. I am really curious why that route was chosen. I also know Life Med and Guardian Flight both turned down the work.

It makes me wonder if the GPS maps are off there or if there is some other anomaly.
" Hey we have a beautiful GPS system with moving map in our airplane, lets go flying in the unlit mountains after dark under an unknown overcast. Let's take the Navajo, it goes fast so it won't take us long to wind our way through the pass to Seward. Since the IFR minimums are 2660' and 1-1/2 miles visibility and that is a VFR condition let's just go VFR at night in the mountains. After all, I've been over that route dozens of times! "

I could also say something about the mind set of CAP commanders, but will refrain. If the ones in Alaska are anything like the ones around here, well I'll just leave it there.
 
fact= my gps location with address and where i live are 8 miles apart. always has been that way. it really stumps the first timer ups, fedex, speedy guys.
 
There has been documented discrepancies between AK maps and GPS position. But anyone out there in the weather or the dark (shudder) thinking they can pick their way through terrain by GPS is on a fools errand.

MTV
 
I recall a few low WX events following cars on the highway in a Cub. It was an experiment at the time not to become routine.

Gary
 
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