Ketchikan - Wrangell

On August 20, 1991 at 01:15 PM, Ketchikan - Wrangell experienced a crash involving Britten-Norman Islander, operated by Temsco Helicopters, with the event recorded near Ketchikan Alaska.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

4 people were known to be on board, 4 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 3, passenger fatalities: 3, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Approximately 3/4 of an hour after departing for Wrangell, Alaska, the pilot of the regularly scheduled commuter flight contacted company dispatch approximately 30 miles from Ketchikan, and reported that he was returning due to weather. Shortly thereafter, the pilot communicated with another company pilot flying in the same vicinity and both pilots described the weather at their respective locations as 'marginal'. Weather conditions at the Ketchikan International Airport (18 nautical miles from the crash site) at the time of the accident were characterized by low ceilings, multiple cloud layers and reduced (3 mile) visibilities with light rain. The aircraft collided with trees/rising terrain at 800 feet msl while in a near level flight path headed east southeast. Right wingtip impact signatures indicated a very shallow right wing down/nose up attitude at the initial tree impacts. All four occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration N68HA, MSN 2009, year of manufacture 1978.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 55.3431°, -131.6467°.