Crash

[N2255D]

WASILLA, Alaska (AP) - Two small planes collided Sunday about 30
miles northeast of Anchorage, killing five on board, Alaska State
Troopers said.

There were no survivors in the crash, which happened above the
Palmer Hay Flats in a remote area about 10 miles south of Wasilla,
according to Trooper spokesman Greg Wilkinson.

The crash occurred just after noon between a Cessna 170B with
four aboard and a Cessna 172 with just the pilot, National
Transportation Safety Board investigator Clint Johnson said. Both
are single-engine high wing aircraft.

[CraigH]

Have they released the names? I've got a friend who flies a 170B up there.

[alaskan99669]

Have they released the names?

No names yet... http://www.adn.com/

It may be this '55 170B:
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry ... rtxt=4488B

[futr_alaskaflyer]

Unfortunately, it appears as if one of the planes is either a 170 or a 140 based on the horizontal stabilizer.


And if my reading of the tail number is correct, the registration and the color of the plane match a 170B owned by a person I've met, though I don't really know. According to the membership directory he isn't a member.

All speculation though, for now. Sigh.

[futr_alaskaflyer]

One of the modifications I've been considering has been pulse lights for the existing taxi/landing lights. The airspace between Merrill and, say... Willow scares me.

I may get the unit installed sooner instead of later.

[CraigH]

Copied from a post on the Supercub site:

Location: Wasilla
Case number: 06-32988
Type: Aircraft Collision - Fatal
Text: On 4-23-06 at approximately 1159 hours, AST received a report of
two planes colliding in mid air near Mile 1.3 Hayfield Road in Wasilla.
Investigation revealed that David Beauregard age 45 of Wasilla was
flying a 1955 Cessna 170B fixed wing aircraft with three passengers on
board. The passengers in the plane were identified as Ryan Beauregard
age 16, Conner Beauregard age 13 and Remi Beauregard age 9. William
Smoke age 55 of Chugiak was flying his 1955 Cessna 172. Smoke was the
sole occupant of the plane. Investigation further revealed that both
planes were flying in different directions and collided for an unknown
reason in mid air. Both planes came to rest about a mile from the
Palmer Hay flats parking area located off Hayfield Road in Wasilla. All
five people were pronounced dead at the scene. The State Medical
Examiners Office was contacted and responded to take possession of the
two pilots and transported them to Anchorage for an autopsy. The three
children were released to Valley Mortuary. NTSB and FAA responded to
the scene and are investigating the collision. Next of kin has been
notified. NTSB is working with the owners to remove the aircraft from
the hay flats.

[futr_alaskaflyer]

Right plane, different pilot than I know. His partner. Tragic and sad.

[4stripes]

Midair collisions are a real threat, as this accident shows. A proper lookout is the first line of defense but making the aircraft more visible is the second. Not enough aircraft display strobe lights. They are expensive, but they are worth it!
When ever I fly, day or night, I have all exterior lights on. Strobes, nav lights, and both landing lights (I have the 60A alternator conversion in my 52 170). Standard operating procedure for most major airlines is to have all exterior lights on below 10,000 feet (to help avoid midair collisions).
I can't help getting upset, watching those weekend warriors flying the circuit with only a rotating beacon on! Most of the planes are rentals, yet they still don't display all available lighting!
I realize that the electrical load may be a little high for the older generator powered systems, but it should handle at least one landing light on... My friend has a stock generator on his 54 170, and one landing light on works fine. Two on, causes a drain at low rpm.
As for cost, I have not had to replace a landing light in over 10 years...
To help longevity of the bulbs, I did rotate the filament to be vertical, as opposed to horizontal. When they were horizontal, they did burn out at a much higher rate (at least one every 2 years). My theory is that the vibration has a much more profound effect in the horizontal axis, causing the filament more movement, and premature failure. No modification of the bulb holder is required.
Fly safe,
Eric

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Eric

I agree it is upsetting. Before I flew for a living I never used lights for identification. I thought it was dumb. I prescribed to the "Big sky, little bullet theory" What are the chances someone else would be in MY airspace at the same time as me.

My first job flying was in the NYC in some of the busiest congested airspace you can find called the Hudson River corridor. Our helicopters had the modifications to flash the landing lights. During initial training it was suggested that we use them. I thought oh right.

Well after dodging oncoming traffic for a few hours in the circuit I realized the reason I could see all the traffic is they all had their landing lights flashing. Of course they couldn't see me because mine where OFF.

I quickly got n the habit of turning every light on on ANY aircraft I flew at any time from then on.

Now my 170 like many doesn't have the option to run one of the landing lights. It's both or none. My aircraft has a 25 amp generator which is the biggest I can run on my non-dampened crank engine. It's not enough to run the landing lights.

I do run my nav lights and I have wing tip strobes that are on as well ALL the time.

[cessna170bdriver]

The '53 and later B-model 2-position pull-type landing light switches are only $21 at cessnaparts.com. All you need is a place to mount the switch, and one more wire out the left wing. I'm not sure what the approval would entail...

Miles

[4stripes]

I'm not sure what the approval would entail...

Miles[/quote]
You've got my approval!
Safety First!

[futr_alaskaflyer]

Unbelievable.



Pilots in collision were accomplished aviators
One flew for airline, other for federal government

By JOSEPH DITZLER and ANNE AURAND
Anchorage Daily News

(Published: April 24, 2006)
WASILLA -- The two pilots involved in a midair collision Sunday of two small planes that killed all aboard, including three children, were accomplished aviators, according to their friends, employers and public records.

David Beauregard, 45, of Wasilla captained 737-400s for Alaska Airlines, said airline spokeswoman Amanda Tobin of Seattle. Beauregard, who flew for the Army and then the Coast Guard before taking early retirement in 1996, worked for Alaska Airlines for 10 years, according to Tobin and others who knew him.

He held ratings for all manner of aircraft, including gliders, helicopters and single- and multiengine fixed-wing aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration online registry. He was also an instructor.

William Smoke, 55, was chief pilot for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a flight instructor and a commercial pilot, according to records and those who knew him.

"So between the two of them, both these guys had thousands and thousands of hours," said Clint Johnson, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator.

Smoke's 1955 Cessna 172 and Beauregard's 1955 Cessna 170B collided at noon over the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge a mile south of Hayfield Road in Wasilla, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Beauregard's widow, Diane, was en route home Monday from a trip Outside, said a family friend. Three of the couple's children perished with their father in the crash -- sons Ryan, 16, and Conner, 13, and daughter Remi, 9. The couple has two older surviving sons.

A former Army and Coast Guard colleague described Beauregard as the consummate aviator, a dedicated family man and a likable guy.

"I think we all strive to be someone like Dave," said Coast Guard Cmdr. Bob Philips of Kodiak. "I never heard him say a harsh word or terse word about anybody."

Smoke, an experienced pilot and longtime Alaskan, leaves behind a wife and four children.

Janis Smoke, his wife of 20 years, said through her tears that her husband was "first and foremost a family man." He also loved his job and loved piloting.

"He loved the whole Alaska lifestyle thing," she said. "We've got one of every toy in our yard."

He is survived by his four children: Alex, 16, and Lindy, 18, both Alaska residents, and Michael and Becky, ages 25 and 27.

Smoke was the regional aviation manager with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He had been a pilot with the service for 13 years but moved to Chugiak three years ago for the Anchorage job.

Originally from Arlington, Wash., he had also lived and flown planes in Juneau, King Salmon and Tok.

He was out doing a test flight, flying for fun, when the crash occurred, Janis Smoke said.

Both pilots were members of the Birchwood squadron of the Alaska Civil Air Patrol, said Civil Air Patrol spokesman Mike Dryden.

"Normally we're on the other end of the search. For two squadron members to be out flying (on a nonmission) and have a midair collision, the odds are astronomical," he said Monday.

Beauregard was active in the tightknit group, especially in the glider program, which teaches young aviators, Dryden said.

Smoke's membership lapsed in January, Dryden said.

He said the two men undoubtedly knew one another.

[bradbrady]

This is just so sad I hope everyone is throwing up preyers, not just for the dead but also for the living
brad

[futr_alaskaflyer]

Hopefully this link works...

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/aviation ... 4110c.html

That leaves investigator Clint Johnson with one thought: One or both pilots simply did not see the other. Johnson does not have the authority to determine probable cause in plane crashes, but his reports form the basis for such findings.

Both Cessnas were high-winged airplanes. As part of his investigation, he borrowed a friend's 170 and sat inside, looking for obstructions, Johnson said in an interview this week.

"Number one would be the door post, number two would be the high-wing of the right wing," he said. "It would really hamper the ability to see an approaching plane. Same with the other plane."

[bradbrady]

Richard,
Thanks for your link, It worked perficatly, We all need to keep our heads out of the aircraft as this link shows.
brad