1989 — Sep 27, Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 5 (sightseeing) Crash, Tusayan, AZ — 10
— 10 Los Angeles Times (Eric Malnic). “10 Killed in Grand Canyon Plane Crash.” 9-28-1989.
— 10 NTSB. AAR. Grand Canyon Airlines…Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan…
Narrative Information
NTSB Executive Summary: “On September 27, 1989, Grand Canyon Airlines Flight ‘Canyon 5,’ a de Havilland DHC-6-300, Twin Otter, N75GC, was operating as a sightseeing flight under 14 CFR 135 from Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan, Arizona. The flight was to last about 50 minutes. The airplane crashed during its initial landing attempt and was destroyed. The two pilots and eight passengers received fatal injuries, nine passengers received serious injuries, and two passengers received minor injuries.
“Canyon 5’s first sightseeing flight on the morning of the accident was uneventful, and it departed on the second tour about 0900. A video tape taken by one of the passengers on the accident flight indicated that the takeoff, tour, and approach to the airport were normal.
“Witnesses described the airplane’s approach as normal; however, the airplane travelled about 1,000 feet down the runway, which was 8,999 feet long, at an altitude of about 5 feet prior to touchdown. The airplane reportedly dropped to the runway, bounced back into the air, continued another 1,000 feet and dropped back onto the runway near the intersection of taxiway ‘C.’ Witnesses then saw the airplane veer off to the right of the runway. When it neared the runway edge, observers saw it begin to climb in a nose-high attitude. The airplane continued to climb as it passed the control tower and reached an altitude of 150 to 200 feet above the runway. At this point, the aircraft rolled toward the left and crashed into trees on a hill about 1,200 feet to the left of the runway. The controllers reported that all communications with Canyon 5f had been normal. There were no reports of winds or gusts at the time of the accident.
“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was improper pilot techniques and crew coordination during the landing attempt, bounce, and attempted go-around.
“As a result of the investigation of this accident, seven recommendations were issued to the FAA concerning the POI’s inspection of operator procedures, the adequacy of the certification inspection of the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, and the inspection of passenger seats. Four recommendations were issued to the Arizona Department of Transportation to improve electrical and communications equipment and aircraft rescue and fire fighting capability at the airport.” [p. iv.]
“Factual Information…History of Flight….During the impact sequence, the airplane severed an electrical cable that rendered the airport electrical system and telephone system inoperative…. [p. 1.]
“A Scenic Airlines captain who had landed ahead of Canyon 5 reported no problems on landing due to winds or gusts. He observed Canyon 5 over the runway with a normal climbout angle but with a cloud of dust appearing initially at the tail of the airplane. He stated that the airplane then seemed to ‘stop climbing’ and that the nose rose with a ‘jerk’ until the airplane appeared to be ‘standing on its tail, hanging from its propellers.’ The airplane then rolled on its left wing and crashed into the trees. He said that the maneuver seemed to be in slow motion until the nose approached a horizontal position, at which time the airplane fell rapidly….
“The crew of flight 1080 [America West Airlines] commented that there did not seem to be any immediate reaction to the crash from the tower or the airport’s aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) unit. About 1.5 minutes later, the crew asked the tower, ‘are you aware of the problem?’ The tower advised that it was, but that it was having difficulty contacting ‘Crash 1.’ The crew then notified its operations agents on the company frequency to see if they could do anything to help. At about 10:00,[1] a yellow crash truck passed their airplane on its way to the crash site….” [p. 2.]
“….All of the fatalities were due to blunt impact trauma.” [p. 10.]
“….Only two of the four [airport] workers had received any fire fighting training. In addition, the investigation found no records showing that any of the maintenance workers had received the minimum required ARFF training.
“The airport emergency plan, coordinated with the local agencies in July 1985, contained no written agreements with the agencies that would provide medical, fire fighting, and law enforcement assistance during airport emergencies. No records were found to show that a full-scale emergency plan exercise had been held in the 3 years preceding the accident or that annual reviews of the plan and a table-top exercise of the plan had been conducted as required by 14 CFR 139.325….” [p. 15.]
“In the early stages of the investigation, the Safety Board concluded that if the standby electrical generator had been equipped with an automatic start feature, electrical power would have been available almost immediately after disruption of the main power source, and the alarm siren would have been heard much sooner. Also, the investigation found that numerous improvements to airport communications were needed. For example, battery-operated, hand-held radios or cellular telephones would have permitted voice communications between the control tower and key airport employees. Additionally, a one-call telephone notification system could also have improved airport communications. Such a system would enable control tower personnel or the airport manager to notify, with one call, each other, as well as the 911 emergency dispatcher, and the senior airport ARFF representative….
“The Safety Board’s investigation could not determine why the most recent FAA airport inspections did not disclose the problems with the airport ARFF program that were discovered after the accident….” [p. 16.] (NTSB. AAR. Grand Canyon Airlines Flight Canyon 5, De Havilland Twin Otter, DHC-6-300, N75GC, Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan, Arizona, September 27, 1989.)
LA Times: “Tusayan, Ariz….All of the passengers were adults who reportedly arrived at the Grand Canyon on a motor coach tour… ‘They’re scattered from all over the United States,’ said [the] vice president and general manager of Las Vegas-based Grand Canyon Airlines. ‘Some were from California. Some from the East Coast. All over.’….
“In Modesto…Mayor Carol Whiteside said City Councilman John Sutton and his wife, Donna, bought the last two tickets on the flight and were among the dead….
“Rescuers cut a hole in the wreckage to reach victims. Survivors with moderate injuries were taken to Grand Canyon Clinic and later transferred to the Flagstaff Medical Center, about 70 miles away, where the critically injured had been flown by helicopter for treatment earlier….
“Patrolman Gary A. Lang of the Arizona Department of Public Safety arrived about 20 minutes after the crash. ‘We were just trying to get them out of the plane,’ Lang said. ‘Most of them were still strapped in their seats, and most of them had major injuries….We had to use the Jaws of Life (a hydraulic prying mechanism) to tear a hole in the bottom and get into the plane….’
“Wednesday’s crash was the second time in little more than three years that a Grand Canyon Airlines plane crashed in the Grand Canyon area. In June, 1986, another De Havilland Twin Otter collided with a helicopter and plunged into the mile-deep canyon, carrying 25 sightseers and crew members to fiery deaths. In the aftermath, President Reagan signed legislation banning all flights below the rim of the canyon. Environmentalists have continued to advocate a ban on aircraft over the canyon.
“….Wednesday’s flight began about 9 a.m. and covered about 100 miles in a single loop over the eastern part of the Grand Canyon, following a route approved by the FAA.
“Two other factors may complicate the NTSB’s investigation of the cause of the crash. The plane was not equipped with either a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder. The so-called “black boxes” are not required on the type of plane that crashed.” (Los Angeles Times (Eric Malnic). “10 Killed in Grand Canyon Plane Crash.” 9-28-1989.)
Sources
Los Angeles Times (Eric Malnic). “10 Killed in Grand Canyon Plane Crash.” 9-28-1989. Accessed 6-2-2016 at: http://articles.latimes.com/1989-09-28/news/mn-362_1_grand-canyon-airlines
National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Grand Canyon Airlines Flight Canyon 5, De Havilland Twin Otter, DHC-6-300, N75GC, Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan, Arizona, September 27, 1989. Washington, DC: NTSB, 1-8-1991, 37 pages. Accessed 6-2-2016 at: http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR91-01.pdf
[1] On page 3 it is noted that the crash occurred at 09:52 a.m.