Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Plane Down

Harley McManus is by FAR the best I have ever flown with. If you have a copy of My Alaska his dad was one of the pilots. Harley is an artist with a supercub, and that is no joke.

Island Air Express is a top notch operation, and pretty much the only operation I fly with anymore. I've taken a tour of their hanger, and you could eat off the floor it was so clean.

Well crap - friends of ours just informed us that a former neighbor of theirs was just involved in a plane crash in AK involving 8 passengers on a shore excursion from a cruise. He was the pilot - has to be the same one discussed here. I'd met him and his wife a couple of times but didn't really know them well other than they moved to AK a few years ago. I have no knowledge of his aviation background, but just damn...

Based on records provided by Holland America, Promech Air and identifications provided to law enforcement, the victims are believed to be:

71-year-old Rowland Cheney and 59-year-old Mary Doucette, of Lodi, Calif.
31-year-old Glenda Cambiaso and 65-year-old Hugo Cambiaso, of North Potomac, Md.
73-year-old June Kranenburg and 63-year-old Leonard Kranenburg, of Medford, Ore.
63-year-old Margie Apodaca and 70-year-old Raymond Apodaca, of Sparks, Nev.
64-year-old pilot Bryan Krill, of Hope, Idaho

http://www.ktva.com/plane-reported-...found-on-southeast-alaska-cliffside-671/

That plane went down about 3 miles in a straight line behind my right shoulder. Those are my old 'stomping' grounds. Not quite to Ella Lake, but all around Big Lake and Mirror Lake.

That's him - terrible for all involved, especially their families.

Harley is a friend of mine and it's McMahon. His brother Chuck aint bad either. I've flown with Ron and Charlie Warbelow, both deceased and formerly of 40Mile Air. They were very good.

Sorry on the spelling, it's been a few years.

Alaska is different flying from what I hear from those that have flown there. I understand there are some God awful winds that come out of those mountain passes.

Most of the folks I know up there that fly say its not if, but when you either have a mechanical issue or make a mistake.

At certain times and places, you can't afford either, or both. THere is no room for recovery.

IMHO its simply a price you pay for flying where they do.

OTOH you can refuse to fly except for perfect conditions/forecasts and even that can eventually bite you.

Capstone was supposed to help eliminate mistakes, it was in place in bush planes in 2003 the first time I flew in a bush plane.

Williwaws can be VERY impressive.

Glaciers powering katabatic winds are the usual driver...

No worries, I did it too actually. It's McMahan, not McMahon. I do have trouble keeping that straight.

Not like the press to sensationalize things. Certainly not a granite rock face. (NTSB photos)

Except in all the places with katabatic winds, and no glaciers.

Lots of 'cat paws' on the waters around coastal mountains, and not a glacier for 100's of miles.

'cat paw' example from the internet...

Absolutely! Should have used "common" instead of usual perhaps.