Wien Air Alaska Flight 99: Difference between revisions

Wien Air Alaska: Flight 99
	Fairchild F-27 aircraft
Accident
Date	30 August 1975; 1:57 pm BDT
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain in fog, pilot error
Website	Sevuokuk Mountain, near Gambell Airport, Gambell, Alaska, Vereinigte Staaten ; 63°45′54″N 171°42′29″W / 63.765°N 171.708°W
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Fairchild F-27B
Operator	Wien Air Alaska
Registration	N4904
Flight origin	Nome Airport, Nome, Alaska
1st stopover	Savoonga Airport, Savoonga, Alaska
Destination	Gambell Airport, Gambell, Alaska
Occupants	32
Passengers	28
Crew	4
Fatalities	10
Injuries	22
Survivors	22

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Gambell

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Location in Alaska

Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in Alaska to St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. On approach to Gambell on 30 August 1975, it crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain, east of the airport's runway. Of the 32 on board, ten were killed, including the captain and first officer. The Fairchild F-27B aircraft was operated by Wien Air Alaska.

Flight

Flight 99 originated in Nome on Saturday, August 30, 1975, bound for Savoonga and Gambell. Captain William C. Arant (39), who had 6,607 flying hours prior to the journey, and First Officer Gerald W. Schaefer (28) who had 2,738 flight hours were on board. The flight from Nome to Savoonga was uneventful, and the plane departed Savoonga for Gambell at 1:27 pm Bering daylight time.^[1] As Gambell did not have a control tower, the Wien agent at Gambell, upon hearing the plane radio its departure from Savoonga, turned on the non-directional beacon at Gambell to aid the flight's crew in navigation.

Fog was prevalent in the Gambell area, and the crew discussed strategies to land at the airport. After several missed approaches, the plane flew north over the community, and turned east, and then south to make one final pass. The plane passed over Troutman Lake east of Gambell, and turned south, before impacting Sevuokuk Mountain at an elevation of 424 feet (130 m).^[1]

After impact, the plane broke apart and was propelled up the mountain approximately 132 feet (40 m), coming to rest inverted. A fire broke out, and the residents of the village came to aid,^[2]^[3] attempting to put the fire out with hand-held extinguishers.^[1] All but one of the injured passengers were able to escape the wreckage. Most of the injured or killed passengers were natives of Nome, Gambell, or Savoonga.^[4]

Cause

The cause of the crash, according to the NTSB, was improper IFR (Instrument flight rules) operation, failing to adhere to instrument approach procedures. The airplane collided with a mountain on a missed approach to landing, after multiple missed approaches. The weather at the airport was unsafe for landing, with a low ceiling and sea fog.^[1]^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Aircraft Accident Report - Wien Air Alaska, Inc. Fairchild F-27B, N4904, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, August 30, 1975" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 7 January 1976. NTSB-AAR-76-1. - Copy at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
^ "Propjet crashes in Alaska". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. 31 August 1975. p. 2A.
^ "Eskimo villagers rescue crash survivors". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. 1 September 1975. p. 2A.
^ Beitler, Stu (2 September 1975). "Gambell, AK Airliner Crashes into hillside". Fairbanks News-Miner. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
^ "NTSB Identification: DCA76AZ004". www.ntsb.gov. National Transportation Safety Board. DCA76AZ004. Retrieved 16 January 2022.

External links

Accident Description at the Aviation Safety Network

[ntsb1-1] "Aircraft Accident Report - Wien Air Alaska, Inc. Fairchild F-27B, N4904, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, August 30, 1975" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 7 January 1976. NTSB-AAR-76-1. - Copy at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

[pcinak-2] "Propjet crashes in Alaska". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. 31 August 1975. p. 2A.

[lmtevrcsv-3] "Eskimo villagers rescue crash survivors". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. 1 September 1975. p. 2A.

[4] Beitler, Stu (2 September 1975). "Gambell, AK Airliner Crashes into hillside". Fairbanks News-Miner. Retrieved 16 January 2022.

[5] "NTSB Identification: DCA76AZ004". www.ntsb.gov. National Transportation Safety Board. DCA76AZ004. Retrieved 16 January 2022.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Infobox Aircraft accident
+{{short description|1975 aviation accident}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
-|name             = Wien Air Alaska<br />Flight 99
+{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
-|occurrence_type  = Accident
-|date             = 30 August 1975
+| name            = Wien Air Alaska: Flight 99
+| occurrence_type = Accident
-|type             = [[Controlled flight into terrain]] in fog, [[pilot error]],
-|site             = [[Gambell Airport]], [[Gambell]], [[Alaska]]
+| date            = 30 August 1975<br>1:57 pm [[Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone|BDT]]
+| type            = [[Controlled flight into terrain]] in fog, [[pilot error]]
-|coordinates      = {{coord|63|45|54|N|171|42|30|W|type:event|display=inline,title}}
+| site            = Sevuokuk Mountain, near [[Gambell Airport]], [[Gambell, Alaska]], [[United States]]
+| coordinates     = {{nowrap|{{coord|63.765|N|171.708|W|type:event|display=inline,title}}}}
-<!--These 17 entries for single-aircraft accidents:------>
-|aircraft_type    = [[Fairchild F-27]]B
+| image           = Fairchild F-27J AN1034181.jpg
-|aircraft_name    =
+| image_size      = 220
-|operator         = [[Wien Air Alaska]]
+| caption         = Fairchild F-27 aircraft
+<!--These 17 entries for single-aircraft accidents:------>| aircraft_type   = [[Fairchild F-27]]B
-|tail_number      = N4904
+| aircraft_name   =
-|origin           = [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]], Alaska
-|stopover         =
+| operator        = [[Wien Air Alaska]]
+| tail_number     = N4904
-|stopover0        = [[Savoonga]], Alaska
-|stopover1        =
+| origin          = [[Nome Airport]], [[Nome, Alaska]]
-|stopover2        =
+| stopover        =
+| stopover0       = [[Savoonga Airport]], [[Savoonga, Alaska]]
-|stopover3        =
-|last_stopover    =
+| stopover1       =
+| last_stopover   =
-|destination      = [[Gambell Airport]], [[Gambell, Alaska]]
+| destination     = [[Gambell Airport]], [[Gambell, Alaska]]
-|passengers       = 28
-|crew             = 4
+| occupants       = 32
-|injuries         = 22
+| passengers      = 28
-|fatalities       = 10
+| crew            = 4
-|survivors        = 22
+| injuries        = 22
+| fatalities      = 10
+| survivors       = 22
 }}
+{{Location map
+|USA Alaska
-'''Wien Air Alaska Flight 99''' was a scheduled domestic passenger flight that crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain, when on approach to [[Gambell]] [[Alaska]], on 30 August 1975, killing 10 of the 32 crew and passengers on board, including the pilot and co-pilot. The [[Fairchild F-27]]B aircraft was operated by [[Wien Air Alaska]].
+|relief     = 1
+|label      = <small>Gambell</small>
+|position   = bottom
+|lat        = 63.765
+|long       = -171.708
+|caption    = Location in [[Alaska]]
+|marksize   = 5
+|float      =
+|background =
+|width      = 230
+}}
+'''Wien Air Alaska Flight 99''' was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in [[Alaska]] to [[St. Lawrence Island]] in the [[Bering Sea]]. On approach to [[Gambell, Alaska|Gambell]] on 30 August 1975, it crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain, east of the [[Gambell Airport|airport's]] runway. Of the 32 on board, ten were killed, including the captain and first officer. The [[Fairchild F-27B]] aircraft was operated by [[Wien Air Alaska]].
 ==Flight==
-[[Wien Air Alaska]] Flight 99 originated in [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]] on August 30, 1975, bound for [[Savoonga]] and [[Gambell]].  The flight from Nome to Savoonga was uneventful, and the plane departed Savoonga for Gambell at 1327H.<ref name="ntsb1">[http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR76-01.pdf Air Disaster, NTSB Report, Wien Air Alaska Fairchild F-27B, N4904, Gambell, St. Lawrence, Alaska.]</ref>
+Flight 99 originated in [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]] on Saturday, August 30, 1975, bound for [[Savoonga, Alaska|Savoonga]] and Gambell. Captain William C. Arant (39), who had 6,607 flying hours prior to the journey, and First Officer Gerald W. Schaefer (28) who had 2,738 flight hours were on board. The flight from Nome to Savoonga was uneventful, and the plane departed Savoonga for Gambell at 1:27 pm [[Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone|Bering daylight time]].<ref name="ntsb1">{{Cite web |date=January 7, 1976 |title=Aircraft Accident Report - Wien Air Alaska, Inc. Fairchild F-27B, N4904, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, August 30, 1975 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7601.pdf |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |id=NTSB-AAR-76-1}} - [https://libraryonline.erau.edu:443/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR76-01.pdf Copy at] [[Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University]].</ref> As Gambell did not have a [[Air traffic control|control tower]], the Wien agent at Gambell, upon hearing the plane radio its departure from Savoonga, turned on the [[non-directional beacon]] at Gambell to aid the flight{{'}}s crew in navigation.
-As Gambell did not have a tower, the Wien agent at Gambell, upon hearing the plane radio its departure from Savoonga, turned on the [[non-directional beacon]] at Gambell to aid the flight{{'}}s crew in navigation.
-[[Fog]] was prevalent in the Gambell area, and the crew discussed strategies to land at the airport. After several missed approaches, the plane flew north over the community, and turned east, and then south to make one final pass. The plane passed over Troutman Lake east of Gambell, and turned south, before impacting Sevuokuk Mountain at an altitude of {{convert|424|ft}}.<ref name="ntsb1" />
+[[Fog]] was prevalent in the Gambell area, and the crew discussed strategies to land at the airport. After several [[Missed approach|missed approaches]], the plane flew north over the community, and turned east, and then south to make one final pass. The plane passed over Troutman Lake east of Gambell, and turned south, before impacting Sevuokuk Mountain at an elevation of {{convert|424|ft|-1}}.<ref name="ntsb1" />
-After impact, the plane broke apart and was propelled up the mountain approximately {{convert|132|ft}}, coming to rest inverted.  A fire broke out, and the residents of the village came to aid, attempting to put the fire out with hand-held extinguishers.<ref name="ntsb1" />  All but one of the injured passengers were able to escape the wreckage.  Most of the injured or killed passengers were natives of Nome, Gambell, or Savoonga.<ref>[http://www3.gendisasters.com/alaska/5501/gambell-ak-airliner-crashes-hillside-sep-1975 Beitler, Stu.  Gambell AK Airliner Crashes into hillside, September 1975.  Fairbanks News-Miner, September 2, 1975.]</ref>
+After impact, the plane broke apart and was propelled up the mountain approximately {{convert|132|ft}}, coming to rest inverted.  A fire broke out, and the residents of the village came to aid,<ref name=pcinak>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mIFfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gTAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5869%2C8887551 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Propjet crashes in Alaska |date=August 31, 1975 |page=2A}}</ref><ref name=lmtevrcsv>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kqVfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RDIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5648%2C11680|work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Eskimo villagers rescue crash survivors |date=September 1, 1975 |page=2A}}</ref> attempting to put the fire out with hand-held extinguishers.<ref name="ntsb1" /> All but one of the injured passengers were able to escape the wreckage. Most of the injured or killed passengers were natives of Nome, Gambell, or Savoonga.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Beitler|first=Stu|date=2 September 1975|title=Gambell, AK Airliner Crashes into hillside|url=https://www.gendisasters.com/alaska/5501/gambell-ak-airliner-crashes-hillside-sep-1975|access-date=2022-01-16|website=Fairbanks News-Miner|location=}}</ref>
 ==Cause==
-The cause of the crash, according to the NTSB, was improper IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) operation, failure to adhere to instrument approach procedures. The airplane collided with a mountain on a missed approach to landing, after multiple missed approaches. The weather at the airport was below approach minimums with a low ceiling and sea fog.<ref>[http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/brief.asp?ev_id=49762&key=0 NTSB Report on the Crash]</ref><ref name="ntsb1" />
+The cause of the crash, according to the NTSB, was improper IFR ([[Instrument flight rules]]) operation, failing to adhere to instrument approach procedures. The airplane collided with a mountain on a missed approach to landing, after multiple missed approaches. The weather at the airport was unsafe for landing, with a low ceiling and sea fog.<ref name="ntsb1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=NTSB Identification: DCA76AZ004 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/15/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=49762&key=0 |access-date=2022-01-16 |website=www.ntsb.gov |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |id=DCA76AZ004}}</ref>
 == References ==
-{{Reflist}}
+{{Reflist|2}}
+== External links ==
+* [https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19750830-3 Accident Description] at the [[Aviation Safety Network]]
-{{Aviation lists}}
 {{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1975}}
+{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 1970s}}
-[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1975]]
+[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1975]]
-[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by fog]]
+[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving fog]]
 [[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain]]
 [[Category:Accidents and incidents involving the Fairchild F-27]]
@@ Line 54: / Line 70: @@
 [[Category:Nome Census Area, Alaska]]
 [[Category:1975 in Alaska]]
+[[Category:August 1975 events in the United States]]
+[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by weather]]
+[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error]]

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1970s
1970	Cornfield Bomber Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320 Trans International Airlines Flight 863 Wichita State University football team plane crash Southern Airways Flight 932 Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26
1971	B-52C Lake Michigan crash Colorado Aviation Aero Commander 680 crash Hughes Airwest Flight 706 Allegheny Airlines Flight 485 Pan Am Flight 845 Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 (see D. B. Cooper)
1972	Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 Delta Air Lines Flight 9570 American Airlines Flight 96 Prinair Flight 191 Lake Winnebago mid-air collision Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710 Delta Air Lines Flight 841 Sacramento Canadair Sabre accident Southern Airways Flight 49 United Air Lines Flight 553 Chicago–O'Hare runway collision Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash
1973	DeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet crash Ozark Air Lines Flight 809 Delta Air Lines Flight 723 TWA Flight 742 World Airways Flight 802 Texas International Airlines Flight 655 Pan Am Flight 160 National Airlines Flight 27 Iberia Flight 933
1974	Commonwealth Commuter Flight 317 Pan Am Flight 806 Delta Air Lines Flight 523 Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 TWA Flight 514 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231
1975	Golden West Airlines Flight 261 Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 Overseas National Airways Flight 032
1976	Alaska Airlines Flight 60 American Airlines Flight 625 Air Manila Flight 702 TWA Flight 355
1977	Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045 Southern Airways Flight 242 Delta Air Lines Flight 1080 Encino helicopter crash Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash Air Indiana Flight 216 United Airlines Flight 2860 Vieques Air Link crash
1978	Continental Airlines Flight 603 United Airlines Flight 696 National Airlines Flight 193 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 Air Caribbean Flight 309 TWA Flight 541 United Airlines Flight 173
1979	TWA Flight 841 American Airlines Flight 191 Downeast Airlines Flight 46 Air New England Flight 248 American Airlines Flight 293 American Airlines Flight 444
This list is incomplete. ALM Flight 980 ditched in waters near St. Croix. Flying Tiger Line Flight 45 occurred in the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands