Ketchikan – Juneau

On February 12, 1939 at 12:00 AM, Ketchikan – Juneau experienced a crash involving Fairchild 71, operated by Marine Airways, with the event recorded near Juneau Alaska.

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

6 people were known to be on board, 6 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: 5, passenger fatalities: 5, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is weather. While approaching Juneau from the south, the pilot encountered poor weather and low visibility due to snow falls. The single engine aircraft hit tree tops and eventually crashed in a dense wooded area located some 32 km south of Juneau. SAR operations did not find any trace of the aircraft and all search were suspended after few days. One month later, trappers found the wreckage and the dead bodies of the six occupants.

Aircraft reference details include registration NC9777, MSN 618, year of manufacture 1929.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 58.3020°, -134.4197°.