1975 — Aug 30, Wien Air Alaska 99 approach crash in fog, Sevuokuk Mt. ~Gambell, AK-10
–10 Liefer, G. P. Broken Wings: Tragedy & Disaster in Alaska Civil Aviation. 2003, p. 284.
–10 NTSB AAR. Wien Air Alaska…Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, Aug 30, 1975. 1976.
–7 passengers.
–3 crewmembers. (p. 1)
Narrative Information
National Transportation Safety Board: “At approximately 1357 Bering daylight time, August 30, 1975, Wien Air Alaska, Inc., Flight 99, crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain, Gambell, Alaska, while attempting to land at Gambell Airport. There were 28 passengers and 4 crewmembers on board. Seven passengers and three crewmembers were killed; the aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire.
“The weather was characterized by low ceilings and low visibilities. Sea fog was reported to be moving in an easterly direction across the airport and toward the mountain.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the flightcrew’s failure to adhere to prescribed company instrument approach procedures while attempting to land in adverse weather conditions…
“Wien Air Alaska Flight 99, a Fairchild F-27B, N4904, was a regularly scheduled passenger and cargo flight from Nome, Alaska, to Savoonga and Gambell–two villages on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska.” (NTSB, 1976, 1)
At 1216, on August 30, 1975, Flight 99 departed Nome and landed at Savoonga at 1306. The aircraft departed Savoonga at 1327 with an estimated time en route of 15 minutes to Gambell. There were 32 persons on board–28 passengers and 4 crewmembers.
When the Wien agent at Gambell heard Flight 99’s radio transmissions after takeoff from Savoonga, she activated the Gambell Nondirectional Beacon (NDB).
“According to the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) transcript, the crew identified the Gambell NDB shortly after departing Savoonga and contacted the Wien agent at Gambell…The crew gave their estimated time of arrival and requested the weather. The agent replied, “Our current weather is partial obscured sky. Visibility 1 to 1/2 miles 1 mile to 1/2 mile with … and fog. Temperature is 47O, wind is calm, altimeter 29.70.” Soon thereafter, Flight 99 questioned the visibility; the agent replied that it was, ‘sometimes about 5 miles, it’s very hard to tell . . . .’
“When the flight arrived in the Gambell area, the captain, who was flying the aircraft, remarked to the first officer that fog appeared to be a problem. He also stated, ‘We’ll take a shot from this way and if we can’t make it, we’ll come around and hit it from that side. If we can’t make it from there, we’ll turn out and (come in underneath it).’
“The pilot then made several attempts to land. According to some surviving passengers, the aircraft descended to a low altitude over the tundra to the south of the airport during one of the approaches.
“During another of the approaches, ground witnesses saw the aircraft make a low pass down the runway and then a right turn out to sea before it disappeared into the fog. Some of the survivors, including the flight attendant, believed that the aircraft touched down on this approach. The CVR indicates that the crew had the runway in sight but decided to execute a missed approach because they were too far down the runway to land safely. Flight data recorder (FDR) information shows that the aircraft descended to within a few feet of the surface.
“According to correlated CVR/FDR information, the aircraft then turned right, flew north, and make a relatively steep turn to the right. During this turn, the first officer said that a 155O heading inbound would be perfect. Cockpit conversations during the rollout indicated that the flight passed the NDB while on a heading of 140 [degrees]. The captain then called for final flaps and landing gear.
“When last observed by ground witnesses, the aircraft was heading southeast. It flew over a beach and near boat racks located about 240 yards northeast of the NDB. It continued its course and passed over the eastern end of some newly constructed houses just north of Troutman Lake, which is located between the runway and Sevuokuk Mountain. Ground witnesses stated that the landing gear was lowered before they saw the aircraft disappear into the fog. Ground witnesses and survivors of the crash generally agreed that there was a considerable amount of patchy fog in the area and that visibility ranged from 1/4 to 1½ miles.
“A heading of 140° was maintained for about 28 seconds until the aircraft struck Sevuokuk Mountain at an altitude of 424 feet. Several of the passengers could see the ground and were aware of their position relative to the village of Gambell. Some of them realized that the aircraft was going to hit the mountain and braced themselves.
“Shortly after the aircraft entered the fog and just before impact, some witnesses and survivors heard an increase in engine sound.” (NTSB 1976, pp. 2-3)
“The aircraft crashed into the northwest slope of Sevuokuk Mountain at an altitude of 424 feet. The first impact mark was found 134 feet below a 558-foot ridge. The aircraft overturned during the crash and came to rest inverted and heading opposite the direction of flight….” (NTSB 1976, 7)
“The seven fatally injured passengers sustained severe impact injuries and three of them were burned extensively…” (NTSB 1976, 8)
“The survivors reported that fire erupted in the vicinity of the left engine immediately after the crash. They said that the fire spread slowly, but gradually to the cabin area, which provided time for the rescue of all but one of the injured passengers.
“The crash site was accessible only to hand-held fire extinguishers, which the local residents carried to the scene and used on the fire. The fire eventually burned itself out…”
“This accident was partially survivable. The decelerative forces were within human tolerance; however, the aircraft sustained severe structural damage and overturned. Most seats came loose when the floor lost its structural integrity. Some occupiable areas of the aircraft, including the cockpit, were crushed.
“In addition, there was sufficient time for the survivors to escape or to be rescued before the fire intensified. Some passengers escaped from the wreckage unaided. An Alaska State Trooper, who was a passenger, rescued approximately 15 survivors from the wreckage. The Trooper said that nearly all survivors had to be unbuckled from their seats which, in most cases, had broken loose and were piled up. After he had the survivors out of the aircraft, he carried them away from the wreckage. He was assisted by local residents who arrived at the scene about 30 minutes after the accident.”[1] (NTSB 1976, 9)
“In addition t o the poor condition of the airport lighting, the contrast between the runway at Gambell and its immediate surroundings is poor, especially when visibility is low. There are no runway centerline markings, threshold markings, touchdown zone markings, or other visual markings to aid in distinguishing the runway from surrounding terrain. Runway contrast is further reduced by snow in the winter months. These conditions also exist at other airports in Alaska which are certificated for air carrier operations….
“…the National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration:
- Insure that certificated airports in Alaska comply with the provisions of 14 CFR 139 — specifically those provisions which require that airport lighting systems and similar equipment be maintained in an operable condition and that NOTAMs be issued regarding the conditions of such items, as needed. (Class I1 – Priority followup)
- Expedite existing programs and initiate additional programs to install and improve facilities at certificated airports in Alaska so that the visual conspicuity of runway environments is improved. (Class 11 – Priority followup),” (NTSB 1976, 46, Appendix J)
(National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Wien Air Alaska, Inc. Fairchild F-27B, N4904, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, August 30, 1975 (NTSB-AAR-76-1). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted January 7, 1976, 49 pages.)
Sources
Liefer, G. P. Broken Wings: Tragedy & Disaster in Alaska Civil Aviation. Blaine, WA: Hancock House, 2003.
National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Wien Air Alaska, Inc. Fairchild F-27B, N4904, Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, August 30, 1975 (NTSB-AAR-76-1). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted January 7, 1976, 49 pages. Accessed at: http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR76-01.pdf
[1] Liefer writes: “All of the survivors were helped or carried off the mountain, many over several miles of rugged terrain, before arriving in Gambell. A village health nurse was the only person in the community trained to administer first aid, and for several hours she did her best treating the various injuries. Addditional medical personnel and supplies arrived from Nome later that evening….A Coast Guard C-130 aircraft transported them to medical facilities in Anchorage the next morning.” (p. 284.)