Alaskan villagers rescue survivors of plane crash that killed four, including ...

Vancouver SunAlaskan villagers rescue survivors of plane crash that killed four, including ...Vancouver SunANCHORAGE, Alaska — Residents of a rural Alaska village reached survivors of a commuter plane crash two hours after the aircraft went down in freezing rain, authorities said Saturday. The pilot and three passengers died in the crash of the single ...

Young Mom Is Hailed As The 'Hero' In Deadly Alaska Plane Crash

Business InsiderYoung Mom Is Hailed As The 'Hero' In Deadly Alaska Plane CrashBusiness InsiderAfter phoning for help in resuscitating her baby, a 25-year-old woman on a plane that crashed in remote southwest Alaska led searchers hampered by cold and fog to the crash site. The single-engine aircraft carrying 10 people went down Friday night near ...

Plane with 10 aboard crashes between Bethel and St. Marys

Alaska DispatchPlane with 10 aboard crashes between Bethel and St. MarysAlaska DispatchThe village of St. Mary's, which sits on the banks of the Andreafsky River, a Yukon River tributary. The Southwest Alaska hub community of Bethel, where the flight originated from, lies 100 miles to the south of St. Mary's. School District of St. Mary ...

Few details in preliminary report on fatal October airplane crash in Fairbanks

Alaska DispatchFew details in preliminary report on fatal October airplane crash in FairbanksAlaska DispatchThe National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the Oct. 17 accident that resulted in the death of the aircraft's pilot and owner, Jon Tanner. Two other passengers, Bruce Nahorney and a juvenile whose name was ...

Season's first storm didn't bring predicted havoc: Atwater resident's actions ...

Modesto BeeSeason's first storm didn't bring predicted havoc: Atwater resident's actions ...Modesto BeeJohn D. Thomas was a career Air Force man who died in a 1968 plane crash in the Plateau du Darlac area of Vietnam. The Vietnam ... “When he was in the ambulance, he said, 'Alaska, bi-----,' like they were going to give him a ride to Alaska,” Johnson said.

Few details in preliminary report on fatal October airplane crash in Fairbanks

Alaska DispatchFew details in preliminary report on fatal October airplane crash in FairbanksAlaska DispatchWeather was likely not a factor in the crash that killed pilot Jon Tanner at Fairbanks International Airport on Oct. 17, where there were reported light winds and good visibility, according to an NTSB preliminary report on the accident. Loren Holmes photo.

RC native writes children's book based on Alaska rescue mission

East Central Minnesota Post ReviewRC native writes children's book based on Alaska rescue missionEast Central Minnesota Post ReviewAs difficult as that mission was, Peterson said a year ago, he confessed to feeling much more at risk when responding to a plane crash on a remote Alaskan glacier during a blizzard in the summer of 2010. Because of his team's efforts, the pilot and ...

After emergency landing in Cold Bay, Delta passengers back in the air

Alaska DispatchAfter emergency landing in Cold Bay, Delta passengers back in the airAlaska DispatchClint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board chief for Alaska, said that he had only preliminary information Wednesday afternoon, but it appeared that the pilots of the plane became aware of the problem at some point in the aircraft's ...

After emergency landing in Cold Bay, Delta passengers back in the air

Alaska DispatchAfter emergency landing in Cold Bay, Delta passengers back in the airAlaska DispatchClint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board chief for Alaska, said that he had only preliminary information Wednesday afternoon, but it appeared that the pilots of the plane became aware of the problem at some point in the aircraft's ...

Two men film their own plane crash then escape Alaskan wilderness after three ...

Daily MailTwo men film their own plane crash then escape Alaskan wilderness after three ...Daily MailA man from North Carolina whose plane crashed whilst on a hunting trip in Alaska has been recounting how he and his pilot survived two days in the Alaskan wilderness after their plane came down. Larry Minton's camera was rolling when the J3 Cub ...

Written by Steve Frank

Go Blue RidgeWritten by Steve FrankGo Blue RidgeThe family of a Wilkes man who was reported missing after an Alaska plane crash said he was found safe Sunday night. James Minton, 65, was reported to be in good shape after he was taken to a medical center to be checked out, his family told WXII-TV.

Written by Steve Frank

Go Blue RidgeWritten by Steve FrankGo Blue RidgeThe family of a Wilkes man who was reported missing after an Alaska plane crash said he was found safe Sunday night. James Minton, 65, was reported to be in good shape after he was taken to a medical center to be checked out, his family told WXII-TV.

Loved ones devastated by plane crash deaths

Anchorage Daily NewsLoved ones devastated by plane crash deathsAnchorage Daily News"He loved Alaska, and he loved the outdoors, and hunting and fishing, and working," Carr said. Mueller, the victim of the crash southeast of McGrath, was a pilot and "pseudo-retired" aircraft mechanic, said Hartman, his daughter. "He's had his pilot ...

Fatal Plane Crash Near Sutton

KTNAFatal Plane Crash Near SuttonKTNAA plane crash north of Sutton on Thursday claimed the lives of both men on board. According to the Alaska State Troopers, the Rescue Coordination Center received a report of an overdue aircraft Thursday night. No formal flight plan had been filed, and ...

Stall likely cause in deadly Merrill Field plane crash

Alaska DispatchStall likely cause in deadly Merrill Field plane crashAlaska DispatchRadio transmissions between Big Lake pilot Rob Lilly and Merrill Field Air Traffic Control helped federal investigators get a better idea of what happened before he and his girlfriend crashed into an Anchorage airstrip and died. Courtesy Nelsen Family.

AK Beat: Memorial dinner slated for couple killed in small plane accident

Alaska DispatchAK Beat: Memorial dinner slated for couple killed in small plane accidentAlaska DispatchLast call comes early in Spenard: A plane crash last weekend on Merrill Field has been cleaned up but grief flows unebbed for Jessi Nelsen and Rob Lily, a young couple with deep ties across Southcentral Alaska who were killed in the accident. Loved ...

AK Beat: Latest crash puts Alaska aviation death toll at 24 this year

Alaska DispatchAK Beat: Latest crash puts Alaska aviation death toll at 24 this yearAlaska DispatchSaturday's plane crash at Merrill Field, which killed 31-year-old Big Lake pilot Robert Lilly and his girlfriend, 27-year-old Jessi Nelsen, increase to 24 the number of aircraft fatalities in Alaska this year. Loren Holmes photo. Victims ID'd in ...

Fifty years ago, two DC 7s crash in Southeast Alaska eight months apart; Had ...

SitNewsFifty years ago, two DC 7s crash in Southeast Alaska eight months apart; Had ...SitNewsKetchikan, Alaska - A half century ago, two identical passenger planes performing identical missions crashed in the waters off Southeast Alaska. One plane, with 102 people on board, successfully ditched in the waters off Sitka with no loss of life ...

Team investigating Alaska plane crash struggles with few leads

By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Experts investigating a floatplane crash that killed 10 people in Alaska face a scarcity of information and will rely on skid marks and satellite signals to determine the cause, a federal official said on Tuesday.

No one has claimed to have witnessed the crash on Sunday of the de Havilland-built Otter plane at the airport in the fishing town of Soldotna, 65 miles southwest of Anchorage, said National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener, spokesman for the investigation team.

Investigators face another hurdle because the plane had no flight-data box from which information could be gathered and no surveillance video has been found, Weener said. "It forces us to go back to try to identify ground scars ... how far the impact, where was the debris distributed," he said.

Investigators will reconstruct the last moments before the crash and then identify possible causes or eliminate them, he said.

The crash killed local pilot Walter Rediske, co-owner of an air-taxi service, and members of two families from South Carolina. The plane was bound from the Soldotna airport for a wilderness lodge about 90 miles to the southwest, Weener said. Investigators have said the plane appears to have crashed shortly after take-off.

The crash came a day after an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 with more than 300 people on board crashed while landing at San Francisco's airport, killing two Chinese teenagers and injuring more than 180 people.

Sunday's death toll was the highest Alaska has seen in any plane crash in more than a decade. The NTSB assembled a "go team" of six experts, joined by one Alaska-based NTSB official, to investigate the accident.

So far, Weener said, they have found that the plane hit the ground with its right wing down and nose low, and struck a site just off the paved runway.

Investigators hope to glean some information from satellite signals transmitted from the plane and from the five cellular telephones recovered from the crash site, Weener said.

Despite the lack of flight-data information or witness accounts, NTSB team members believe they will determine what likely happened to the plane and its passengers, Weener said. "I'm quite confident that we will be able to come to what we call a probable cause," he said.

The investigation team is expected to spend about a week at the site in Alaska, then take up to a year to complete a report.

Travel by floatplanes is common in Alaska, where roads are few and territory is vast. Air crashes are also relatively common, especially in the summer, when tourists and residents visit remote recreation sites.

(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Mohammad Zargham)

Final funeral held for Alaskan plane crash victims

The second family from Greenville killed in a plane crash in Alaska earlier this month is being laid to rest.

The funeral for Dr. Chris McManus, his wife Stacey and their children Meghan and Connor will be 3 p.m. Saturday at Wiles Chapel at Newberry College. The family will be buried at Rosemont Cemetery.

The McManus family was vacationing with Melet and Kimberly Antonakos and their three children, Olivia, Miles and Anastacia, when the plane they were in crashed July 7 in Soldotna, Alaska.

The pilot was also killed. The cause of the plane crash has not been determined.

Funeral in Newberry for 2nd family from Greenville killed in Alaska plane crash

Places:

NEWBERRY, South Carolina - The second family from Greenville killed in a plane crash in Alaska earlier this month is being laid to rest.

The funeral for Dr. Chris McManus, his wife Stacey and their children Meghan and Connor will be 3 p.m. Saturday at Wiles Chapel at Newberry College. The family will be buried at Rosemont Cemetery.

The McManus family was vacationing with Melet and Kimberly Antonakos and their three children, Olivia, Miles and Anastacia, when the plane they were in crashed July 7 in Soldotna, Alaska.

The pilot was also killed. The cause of the plane crash has not been determined.

Wreckage of Alaska plane sent to Phoenix

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Pieces of an air taxi that crashed in Alaska, killing 10, have been sent to Washington D.C. and Phoenix.

The Anchorage Daily News reported the plane parts will be analyzed as National Transportation Safety Board investigators try to determine the cause of the July 7 crash in Soldotna, about 75 miles southwest of Anchorage.

National Transportation Safety Board said the plane parts will be analyzed as investigators try to determine the cause of the July 7 crash in Soldotna, about 75 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The engine was produced by Honeywell Aerospace, which has headquarters in metro Phoenix.

The de Havilland DHC 3 Otter operated by Rediske Air had just taken off when it went down.

All on board were killed, including the pilot Walter "Willie" Rediske.

The passengers were two South Carolina families on vacation together. They were Melet and Kimberly Antonakos and their children, 16-year-old Olivia, 14-year-old Mills and 11-year-old Anastacia and Chris and Stacey and their children, 17-year-old Meghan and 15-year-old Connor.

Both families lived in Greenville, S.C.

Wreckage of Alaska plane crash sent to Phoenix for analysis

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Pieces of an air taxi that crashed in Alaska, killing 10, have been sent to Washington D.C. and Phoenix.

The Anchorage Daily News reported the plane parts will be analyzed as National Transportation Safety Board investigators try to determine the cause of the July 7 crash in Soldotna, about 75 miles southwest of Anchorage.

National Transportation Safety Board said the plane parts will be analyzed as investigators try to determine the cause of the July 7 crash in Soldotna, about 75 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The engine was produced by Honeywell Aerospace, which has headquarters in metro Phoenix.

The de Havilland DHC 3 Otter operated by Rediske Air had just taken off when it went down.

All on board were killed, including the pilot Walter "Willie" Rediske.

The passengers were two South Carolina families on vacation together. They were Melet and Kimberly Antonakos and their children, 16-year-old Olivia, 14-year-old Mills and 11-year-old Anastacia and Chris and Stacey and their children, 17-year-old Meghan and 15-year-old Connor.

Both families lived in Greenville, S.C.

Plane crash in Alaska kills 10

NBCNews.comPlane crash in Alaska kills 10NBCNews.comClint Johnson, chief of the NTSB in Anchorage, told NBC's Alaska affiliate that all nine passengers and one pilot aboard the plane were killed after the it crashed, though it is unclear whether the accident happened during takeoff or landing. The NTSB ...

Visitation For Family Killed in Alaska Crash

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) - People are taking time to remember one of two Greenville families killed in a plane crash while on vacation in Alaska.

On Tuesday, the Thomas McAfee Funeral Home is holding the visitation for Melet and Kimberly Antonakos and their three children from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at its chapel on White Horse Road in Greenville.

Funeral services for the family are scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Christ Church Episcopal in Greenville.

The Antonakos family was vacationing with another Christ Church family, Chris and Stacey McManus and their two children, when the plane they were on crashed July 7 while taking off in Soldotna, Alaska.

All nine were killed along with the pilot.

(Copyright 2013 pehlinews.blogspot.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Plane crash at Alaska airport kills 10, officials say

July 7, 2013: Police and emergency personnel stand near the remains of a fixed-wing aircraft that was engulfed in flames at the Soldotna Airport in Soldotna, Alaska.AP Photo/Peninsula Clarion, Rashah McChesney

An air taxi crashed Sunday at a small Alaska airport, killing all 10 people on board and leaving the aircraft fully engulfed in flames before firefighters could get to it, authorities said.

The de Havilland DHC3 Otter air taxi crashed just after 11 a.m. at the airport in Soldotna, a community about 75 miles southwest of Anchorage and located on the Kenai Peninsula.

"We do have 10 fatalities, unfortunately, nine passengers, one pilot," National Transportation Safety Board investigator Clint Johnson told pehlinews.blogspot.com.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Otter was operated by Rediske Air, based out of another Kenai Peninsula community, Nikiski.

Will Satathite, who was working Sunday at Rediske Air's Nikiski office, confirmed to the Peninsula Clarion newspaper that the aircraft was flown by Nikiski pilot and company owner Willy Rediske with nine passengers onboard.

A man who didn't identify himself at the Rediske office declined comment later Sunday to the AP, saying the crash was under investigation.

Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Meagan Peters said the aircraft erupted in flames and the fire initially kept firefighters from reaching the wreckage. The victims have not been identified.

The Soldotna Police Department said Sunday evening that the remains of all 10 people have been recovered and sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Anchorage for autopsies and positive identifications.

Police said in a release through the Alaska State Troopers that weather at the time of the crash was reported to be cloudy with a light wind.

Johnson said initial reports have the plane crashing after departure, but that will have to be confirmed by investigators.

The NTSB is sending an investigative team from Washington, D.C., and they are scheduled to arrive Monday afternoon. Also taking part will be Alaska-based investigator Brice Banning, who was called back from the Asiana crash in San Francisco Sunday.

For many Alaskans, flying across the state is common because of the limited road system, exposing residents to a litany of hazards including treacherous mountain passes and volatile weather. It's possible to drive from Anchorage to Soldotna, but it's about a four-hour trip as the highway hugs Turnagain Arm and then cuts through a mountain passage.

Alaska has already seen a several plane crashes this year, including a June 28 crash that killed a pilot and two passengers on a commercial tour in the Alaska Range. The Soldotna crash comes a day after two teenagers were killed when the Asiana flight crashed at San Francisco's airport.

The municipal airport is located about a mile from Soldotna's commercial business area and is adjacent to the Kenai River, according to the city's website.

The runway is 5,000 foot long and paved.

1200 turn out to say goodbye to families killed in Alaska plane crash

1,200 turn out to say goodbye to families killed in Alaska plane crash

About 1,200 friends, family and fellow parishioners of two families killed in a plane crash in Alaska on Sunday turned out to say goodbye and to try to put the tragedy in perspective of their faith

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1200 mourn families killed in Alaska plane crash

The Rev. Harrison McLeod, of Christ Church, talks about the Antonakos and McManus families after a memorial service at Christ Church in Greenville on Friday, July 12, 2013.

Friends and family mourned the loss of the Antonakos and McManus families of Greenville, S.C., during a memorial service on Friday, July 12, 2013. (Photo: Mykal McEldowney, Greenville (S.C.) News)

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- About 1,200 friends, family and fellow parishioners of two families killed in a plane crash in Alaska turned out Friday to say goodbye and to try to put the tragedy in perspective of their faith.

The Rev. Harrison McLeod, rector of the Christ Church Episcopal in downtown Greenville, reminded the mourners of God's faithfulness as portrayed through the stories of the Bible.

"But we gather here this morning and we hear the story of God's mighty works in salvation history and we hear the names of those we love but see no longer, and we ask in our own generation that ancient question: 'Can God be trusted?'"

Like the rainbow after the flood in Noah's time, the manna sent to feed the Israelites fleeing from bondage in Egypt and the Resurrection of Christ, the lives of the nine, McLeod said, "were a sure and certain sign and a symbol, a sacrament that God would never grieve or afflict his children."

Melet and Kim Antonakos and their children Olivia, Mills and Ana, were killed along with Chris and Stacey McManus and their children, Meghan and Connor, in the crash Sunday while on a vacation trip together, but the rector assured the congregation that they still live.

Authorities have not determined the cause of the crash.

The nine "called us to be the very people God created us to be," McLeod said. "They loved the God who loved them and by their love and by their lives they themselves have reassured us, even in the midst of our grief, that the answer to the question we have all be asking is yes."

"Even in the midst of the burden of grief, our loved ones look down upon us this very day and as living witnesses tell us from their place in paradise that indeed it is true, our God can be trusted."

The church bell tolled nine times.

Investigators search Alaska plane crash scene for clues

Investigators search Alaska plane crash scene for clues

As classmates, co-workers and friends of two families killed in a plane crash in Alaska held memorial services for them Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said investigators moved

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