Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Freshwater Adventures loses Grumann Goose and pilot on Tikchik

Sad news today.


Grumann goose airplane circa 194? something approaching the island in Tikchik lake to pick up a hunting party, late in the day, glassy lake, flat light, evidently pilot slammed it into the water at around 140 mph. Plane flipped and went down is the way I heard it.

I've been there in that spot over a half dozen times waiting to get picked up by that same outfit (former owners Bingham family)

can't imagine a more helpless feeling seeing that happen right before your eyes and not a damn thing you can do for the guy. Get in the boat and row or motor out there to see if he got out by some miracle.

from what I've heard it was one of the Ball bros. and I also heard this was supposed to be their last season operating down there.

sorry to hear it May the good Lord comfort those he left behind. And those were danged neat old aircraft to boot!

Heard that on the news this AM, Randy. I thought of you when they said Wood-Tikchik.

Sad news.

It was Newt Ball in the widgeon rather than the goose. He went down with the plane. They are up there today trying to figure out how deep of water its in, for a salvage. Sad stuff.

Very sad, indeed!

I used Freshwater for my trips into Kagati Lake to float the Kanektok back when the Bingham's owned it.

Great outfit.

My prayers go out for the family and friends. Prayers for safety for the recovery team as well.

Ed

skud thanks for the clarification, I didn't even know they had the widgeon in service, been a lot of years since I've tramped that territory.

I'm guessing it's the same widgeon that got set down on one of the hills a little rough over by White Sands (IIRC) when the Bingham's hired another pilot for a brief period.


I'd heard it was Newt, but didn't want to give a name in case it was wrong, and after misidentifying the aircraft it makes it plain to see why.

Aviation certainly has it's risks, I'm grateful to the Binghams for flying me so many hours safely in that neck of the woods in some less than ideal flying conditions at times.

Sad news. Haven't been to that lake or used that Guide service but any time we lose one its hard.

Back when I was learning to fly one thing my instructor told me was how dangerous a glassy water surface was to try to land on.

Sorry to hear about this loss.

Glassy Water is about as dangerous as it gets for landings. I don't fly sea planes anymore. Flying is not dangerous in of itself, its being complacent that gets you. I read accident reports all the time, not the initial reports but the final ones. It keeps me on my toes, all I can say there has been a few occasions were I almost got bit and it would have been very very ugly. Sorry to hear about Newt, these things happen from time to time.

Sorry to hear about an accident like this, I guess it underscores the risks of the occupation. Why is a glassy surface so dangerous?

For lack of contrast.