aviation

An airplane equipped with instruments to allow for flight in cloudy conditions is ready for passengers at the Haines airport on Thursday. (Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

Local air carrier adopts new tech with aim to make travel in Southeast Alaska safer, more reliable

More precise GPS, FAA OK for new routes expected to lead to fewer cancellations, increased safety.

 

The final Boeing 747 lands at Paine Field following a test flight, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Everett, Wash. Boeing bids farewell to an icon on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, when it delivers the jumbo jet to cargo carrier Atlas Air. Since it debuted in 1969, the 747 has served as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers, and the Air Force One presidential aircraft, but it has been rendered obsolete by more profitable and fuel-efficient models. (Jennifer Buchanan / The Seattle Times)

Boeing bids farewell to an icon, delivers last 747 jumbo jet

SEATTLE — Boeing bid farewell to an icon on Tuesday: It’s delivering its final 747 jumbo jet. Since its first flight in 1969, the giant… Continue reading

 

In this photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB investigator Clint Crookshanks, left, and member Jennifer Homendy stand near the site of some of the wreckage of the DHC-2 Beaver, Wednesday, May 15, 2019, that was involved in a midair collision near Ketchikan. The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration should tighten rules about minimum visibility during flights and require more weather training for pilots who fly around Ketchikan. (Peter Knudson/NTSB via AP)

Safety board recommends new measures for Alaska air tours

The board wants regulations for Ketchikan similar to requirements in Hawaii and the Grand Canyon.

 

The Naqsralugiaq Pass in the Brooks Range is one of two passes added to FAA charts in a recent update after consulting with Alaskan aviators. (Courtesy photo / FAA)

FAA adds two passes in Brooks Range to charts

The addition comes as part of a push by FAA for improved aviation safety in Alaska.

The Naqsralugiaq Pass in the Brooks Range is one of two passes added to FAA charts in a recent update after consulting with Alaskan aviators. (Courtesy photo / FAA)
The Federal Aviation Administration released an initiative to improve flight safety in Alaska for all aviation on Oct. 14, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

FAA releases Alaska aviation safety initiatives

The recommendations, covering five areas, range from improvements in hardware to data-gathering.

The Federal Aviation Administration released an initiative to improve flight safety in Alaska for all aviation on Oct. 14, 2021. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
Charlie Smith, a National Guard first lieutenant at the time of the 1971 airline crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, talks about the recovery efforts on Aug. 9, 2021, fifty years later. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Half a century on, National Guardsman recalls 1971 airline crash

“They said, we have a job to do and we’ll do it.”

Charlie Smith, a National Guard first lieutenant at the time of the 1971 airline crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, talks about the recovery efforts on Aug. 9, 2021, fifty years later. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
A Wings Airways floatplane takes off from Juneau’s downtown harbor as the Norwegian Bliss leaves it port of call on July 31, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Keeping it all in the air: How does Juneau handle all its air traffic?

Controlling the chaos.

A Wings Airways floatplane takes off from Juneau’s downtown harbor as the Norwegian Bliss leaves it port of call on July 31, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Investigators in October 2017 examine the wreckage of a Cessna 182 airplane that went missing just south of Juneau in 2008. The plane remained undiscovered until it was discovered by a deer hunter. (Alaska State Troopers | Courtesy photo)

Federal investigators close case in fatal plane crash mystery

Federal investigators have closed their investigation into an Admiralty Island plane crash discovered last year, nine years after its pilot and his younger son went… Continue reading

Investigators in October 2017 examine the wreckage of a Cessna 182 airplane that went missing just south of Juneau in 2008. The plane remained undiscovered until it was discovered by a deer hunter. (Alaska State Troopers | Courtesy photo)
The wreckage of a crashed Airbus AS350-B3e is seen near Lituya Bay in early October in a photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. (Courtesy photo)

Pilot ‘rolled back throttle’ in fatal helicopter crash

The sole survivor of a fatal helicopter crash has given federal investigators their first insight into the event that killed three people Sept. 28. In… Continue reading

The wreckage of a crashed Airbus AS350-B3e is seen near Lituya Bay in early October in a photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. (Courtesy photo)
This chart shows the number of aviation accidents in Alaska between Oct. 1, 2008 and Sept. 30, 2018. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire)

FAA: Aviation accidents up from 2017

New statistics from the Federal Aviation Administration show a slight year-over-year increase in the number of aviation accidents in Alaska. The figures were released Wednesday… Continue reading

This chart shows the number of aviation accidents in Alaska between Oct. 1, 2008 and Sept. 30, 2018. (James Brooks | Juneau Empire)
A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircew locates a downed aircraft inverted in Crillon Lake, in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, July 18, 2018. The National Park Service requested Coast Guard assistance in locating the pilot of the aircraft, who was found and hoisted from a Crillon Lake shore with minor injuries. (U.S. Coast Guard | Courtesy Photo)

Man survives plane crash into lake

Thanks in part to prior preparation, a man is safe after his plane flipped and crash landed in a lake in Glacier Bay National Park… Continue reading

A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircew locates a downed aircraft inverted in Crillon Lake, in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, July 18, 2018. The National Park Service requested Coast Guard assistance in locating the pilot of the aircraft, who was found and hoisted from a Crillon Lake shore with minor injuries. (U.S. Coast Guard | Courtesy Photo)
Two Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews rescue 11 people after a float plane crashed 39 miles south southwest of Ketchikan, Alaska, on Prince of Wales Island, July 10, 2018. All 11 people were taken to a staging area nearby for further transfer to Ketchikan. (U.S. Coast Guard | Courtesy Photo)

All 11 rescued from crashed plane on Prince of Wales

All 11 people aboard a plane that crashed Tuesday have been rescued in mountainous terrain on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska, officials said. A… Continue reading

Two Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews rescue 11 people after a float plane crashed 39 miles south southwest of Ketchikan, Alaska, on Prince of Wales Island, July 10, 2018. All 11 people were taken to a staging area nearby for further transfer to Ketchikan. (U.S. Coast Guard | Courtesy Photo)
Two Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews rescue 11 people after a float plane crashed 39 miles south southwest of Ketchikan, Alaska, on Prince of Wales Island, July 10, 2018. All 11 people were taken to a staging area nearby for further transfer to Ketchikan. (U.S. Coast Guard | Courtesy Photo)

All 11 rescued from crashed plane on Prince of Wales

All 11 people aboard a plane that crashed Tuesday have been rescued in mountainous terrain on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska, officials said. A… Continue reading

Two Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews rescue 11 people after a float plane crashed 39 miles south southwest of Ketchikan, Alaska, on Prince of Wales Island, July 10, 2018. All 11 people were taken to a staging area nearby for further transfer to Ketchikan. (U.S. Coast Guard | Courtesy Photo)
In this March 15, 2017 file photo, an Uber car drives through LaGuardia Airport in New York. (Seth Wenig | The Associated Press File)

Airports prepare to levy fees for Uber and Lyft

Alaska’s three largest airports are preparing to levy fees on people who use ride-sharing programs like Uber and Lyft. In a public notice filed last… Continue reading

In this March 15, 2017 file photo, an Uber car drives through LaGuardia Airport in New York. (Seth Wenig | The Associated Press File)
In this September 2014 photo, Field Morey, an FAA-Certified Flight Instructor from Medford, Oregon, applies an Alaskan flag sticker to the side of his 2013 Cessna Corvalis TTx four- passenger airplane after landing in Juneau. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

State may charge aircraft registration fee

You have to register your car with the state of Alaska each year. You may soon have to register your plane, too. The State of… Continue reading

In this September 2014 photo, Field Morey, an FAA-Certified Flight Instructor from Medford, Oregon, applies an Alaskan flag sticker to the side of his 2013 Cessna Corvalis TTx four- passenger airplane after landing in Juneau. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Coghlan Island is seen at the entrance to Auke Bay in 2014. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

NTSB: Crash focus on fuel

The National Transportation Safety Board is focusing on the fuel system of an Alaska Seaplanes aircraft that crashed in Auke Bay Aug. 14 as it… Continue reading

Coghlan Island is seen at the entrance to Auke Bay in 2014. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)
The file image from 2014 shows Coghlan at the entrance of Auke Bay. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Small plane crashes near Coghlan Island; no injuries reported

An Alaska Seaplanes aircraft crashed Monday morning near Coghlan Island in Auke Bay on a flight from Skagway to Juneau, but its four passengers and… Continue reading

The file image from 2014 shows Coghlan at the entrance of Auke Bay. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Meet the man behind the purple van — Mark Calvert’s Juneau Airport Shuttle

For Mark Calvert, a Juneau resident for the past seven years, business couldn’t be better. Last week, Calvert launched what he calls Juneau’s first successful… Continue reading

David Kunat is seen in this 2016 image. (David Kunat photo | Facebook)

Friends, family mourn Juneau pilot killed in plane crash

The pilot of Saturday’s fatal plane crash south of Haines is being remembered as an outgoing and smart adventurer with friends across Southeast Alaska. David… Continue reading

David Kunat is seen in this 2016 image. (David Kunat photo | Facebook)
Plane crash near Haines kills Juneau pilot, Californian

Plane crash near Haines kills Juneau pilot, Californian

ANCHORAGE — Four men are dead and one is in the hospital after two separate plane crashes in Alaska on Saturday. TV station KTUU reports… Continue reading

Plane crash near Haines kills Juneau pilot, Californian