Sea plane crash in 2015 - NTSB Report is Out

[MadManOfBethesda]

Just got off the Westerdam this morning. There was a camera crew looking for guests that would say something about the plane crash. I know those people have a job to do, and I earned a degree in Media ( many years ago)... But good grief, there's a time and a place for everything: what were they expecting us to say about such a tragedy? I was glad to see everyone just kept walking past them.

 

And yet, when you got off the ship, you came to a social media site to read about what others were saying about the tragedy. (And there's nothing wrong with that.) And this thread about the tragedy has garnered over 50,000 views because people are seeking information about the tragedy.

 

The media are doing their job: attempting to provide information and clarification about a newsworthy event in which people are interested.

[rpcv77]

I am not a HAL cruiser, but was on the Crown Princess, the week before this tragedy. It seemed as if we were playing a maritime game of tag with the Westerdam and it was fun, as we arrived and departed each port, to see who was first, the Crown or the Westerdam. May those who perished rest in peace and may their memories be a comfort to their loved ones.

Many thanks to those who avoid speculating about the accident or it's aftermath, until all the facts are known.

[Putterdude]

This all has been extremely sad and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends who have been left behind. I know that some of who have been sitting in the south have expressed options as to what happened, however to try to second guess what happened or who is going to get sued serves absolutely no purpose, that is up to the experts. We really should be focusing on the people who have been left behind to mourn and be grateful that for the grace of God it wasn't us.

[Lindy59]

And yet, when you got off the ship, you came to a social media site to read about what others were saying about the tragedy. (And there's nothing wrong with that.) And this thread about the tragedy has garnered over 50,000 views because people are seeking information about the tragedy.

 

The media are doing their job: attempting to provide information and clarification about a newsworthy event in which people are interested.

 

Please re-read my post: that is precisely what I said. Actually came to this site primarily to research other lines, since this was my first cruise. Have a super nice day.

[vermonter16]

Just got off the Westerdam this morning. There was a camera crew looking for guests that would say something about the plane crash. I know those people have a job to do, and I earned a degree in Media ( many years ago)... But good grief, there's a time and a place for everything: what were they expecting us to say about such a tragedy? I was glad to see everyone just kept walking past them.

 

People are curious and want to know what happened, how did people react, etc. That's why all of us on here are reading and sharing and speculating even though not a single one of us knows what happened. I think it's human nature.

[Lindy59]

People are curious and want to know what happened, how did people react, etc. That's why all of us on here are reading and sharing and speculating even though not a single one of us knows what happened. I think it's human nature.

 

True. When departure time came and went, names were called over the loudspeaker, and the Captain announced that the ship was awaiting the return of one tour group. Naturally most of us thought that the group had just lost track of time, and others were mildly annoyed. As it grew later in the afternoon, it was announced a plane was missing. The rest of the story was filled in by friends that posted news links on Facebook. Happy day turned sad very quickly. The next day's stop in Victoria, B.C. Was cancelled, and we sailed all night to arrive back in Seattle this morning. God bless those families.

[NoobCruise]

This is so sad. I'm so sorry for everyone affected.

 

We sailed on the Westerdam a few years ago and took a floatplane tour out of Ketchikan. It was a beautiful day and the tour was a highlight of our trip. It saddens me that so many people are having a gut reaction to not do a floatplane tour now because of this incident. Thousands of people take tours on small floatplanes in Alaska every year and crashes are so very rare. You probably have a much higher chance of being killed on your way to the ship than you do on a float tour.

[brazilgirl]

I was saddened to find out that one of the victims was one of the teachers from the Art Department of my former junior college in Stockton , CA ( Delta College )and a friend of my father's art circle . A talented artist.

http://m.lodinews.com/lodi_living/arts_and_entertainment/article_21de473b-83c2-5afa-8176-de16fa830739.html?mode=jqm

A loss to the community , he will be missed ( as will all other victims).

 

 

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[ricki]

Such a terribly sad time for the families of those who perished.

 

Ricki

[PSUtraveler]

I was saddened to find out that one of the victims was one of the teachers from the Art Department of my former junior college in Stockton , CA ( Delta College )and a friend of my father's art circle . A talented artist.

http://m.lodinews.com/lodi_living/arts_and_entertainment/article_21de473b-83c2-5afa-8176-de16fa830739.html?mode=jqm

A loss to the community , he will be missed ( as will all other victims).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

I'm so sorry to hear this. Thinking of the communities of all the victims tonight.

[brazilgirl]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Thinking of the communities of all the victims tonight.

 

 

On another sad note , apparently the artist from our community was planning to propose to his new love after both of them had been widowed.

http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/06/27/communications-lag-rattles-relatives-after-plane-crash

 

 

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[Scrapnana]

On another sad note , apparently the artist from our community was planning to propose to his new love after both of them had been widowed.

http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/06/27/communications-lag-rattles-relatives-after-plane-crash

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

So sad to hear the stories about the victims. Love and prayers to all touched by this tragedy.

[Lizzie68]

True. When departure time came and went, names were called over the loudspeaker, and the Captain announced that the ship was awaiting the return of one tour group. Naturally most of us thought that the group had just lost track of time, and others were mildly annoyed. As it grew later in the afternoon, it was announced a plane was missing. The rest of the story was filled in by friends that posted news links on Facebook. Happy day turned sad very quickly. The next day's stop in Victoria, B.C. Was cancelled, and we sailed all night to arrive back in Seattle this morning. God bless those families.

 

Thank you for letting us know. Some of us have recently sailed with many of the crew onboard and were feeling sad for them, too. It must have been a very sad sail home for all of the passengers and crew. Our hearts go out to all affected by this terrible tragedy.

[fishy21]

My first cruise, and it was on the Westerdam that sailed June 20. It was a very somber Thursday night. 90 minutes after we were scheduled to leave, the crew were still expecting the missing 8 passengers. It was about 2 hours after departure that people began to sense something was wrong.

 

A couple of people in my group wanted to go on this tour... but was convinced otherwise by our father, who was previously a commercial pilot. Weather was not great and visibility was poor. It was raining most of the day.

 

It was sad seeing the remaining family leave the ship. Even though we didn't know the people who passed, we still felt like a family and it affected us all. A vigil was held the next day, and it was standing room only. Our stopover in Victoria was cancelled, and we arrived into Seattle on time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I was saddened to find out that one of the victims was one of the teachers from the Art Department of my former junior college in Stockton , CA ( Delta College )and a friend of my father's art circle . A talented artist.

http://m.lodinews.com/lodi_living/arts_and_entertainment/article_21de473b-83c2-5afa-8176-de16fa830739.html?mode=jqm

A loss to the community , he will be missed ( as will all other victims).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

On another sad note , apparently the artist from our community was planning to propose to his new love after both of them had been widowed.

http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/06/27/communications-lag-rattles-relatives-after-plane-crash

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Oh how very sad for them.

[Krazy Kruizers]

My first cruise, and it was on the Westerdam that sailed June 20. It was a very somber Thursday night. 90 minutes after we were scheduled to leave, the crew were still expecting the missing 8 passengers. It was about 2 hours after departure that people began to sense something was wrong.

 

A couple of people in my group wanted to go on this tour... but was convinced otherwise by our father, who was previously a commercial pilot. Weather was not great and visibility was poor. It was raining most of the day.

 

It was sad seeing the remaining family leave the ship. Even though we didn't know the people who passed, we still felt like a family and it affected us all. A vigil was held the next day, and it was standing room only. Our stopover in Victoria was cancelled, and we arrived into Seattle on time.

 

Even though many of you didn't know these people personally, it must have been very sad for all of you to hear the news of the accident.

This will be one cruise you all won't forget for some time -- and to think it was your first cruise.

You all were fortunate that you changed your mind about that excursion.

[Okie1946]

This all has been extremely sad and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends who have been left behind. I know that some of who have been sitting in the south have expressed options as to what happened, however to try to second guess what happened or who is going to get sued serves absolutely no purpose, that is up to the experts. We really should be focusing on the people who have been left behind to mourn and be grateful that for the grace of God it wasn't us.

 

and especially for attempting to redirect everyone to what the real tragedy is - the loss of 9 lives and the ensuing life circles that are affected by the crash. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families, friends, the citizens of Ketchikan, the crew of the Westerdam, the cities and towns that knew all of the victims and all others who were touched by the planes occupants. They lived long lives, so just imagine the impact they had upon this world.

 

Okie1946

[DaveOKC]

My first cruise, and it was on the Westerdam that sailed June 20. It was a very somber Thursday night. 90 minutes after we were scheduled to leave, the crew were still expecting the missing 8 passengers. It was about 2 hours after departure that people began to sense something was wrong.

 

A couple of people in my group wanted to go on this tour... but was convinced otherwise by our father, who was previously a commercial pilot. Weather was not great and visibility was poor. It was raining most of the day.

 

Since I have been canceled out of 2 previous seaplane tours out of Ketchikan (on days that I did not think the weather was real bad), it surprises me that this tour was not cancelled. Of course, conditions vary greatly by area and it may have been much better elsewhere.

 

In any case, I think that HAL should allow passengers to cancel for any reason at any time on certain tours, such as small planes, helicopters, etc.

[MrDanB]

My wife and I were on the Crown Princess. We left Seattle the same day as the MS Westerdam. The weather was great all trip, until we got to Ketchikan. LOTS of rain, a bit cold and foggy! I remember many seaplanes taking off and landing all day. Once we got back on the ship, my sister got a call from a concerned friend who had heard the news of the crash. Other passengers got texts and calls from folks back home and the news spread fast on the ship. We were scheduled to leave port and were running late for some reason. Then, we heard over the intercom that we had several people late getting back on board. We were all concerned that it was a family from our ship that had gone on the seaplane tour... It could have easily been any one of us on CC. You just never know. Prayers of comfort to the affected families.

[rjrpar]

Since I have been canceled out of 2 previous seaplane tours out of Ketchikan (on days that I did not think the weather was real bad), it surprises me that this tour was not cancelled. Of course, conditions vary greatly by area and it may have been much better elsewhere.

 

 

 

In any case, I think that HAL should allow passengers to cancel for any reason at any time on certain tours, such as small planes, helicopters, etc.

 

 

I think that is a great suggestion

[Marigold252]

I think that is a great suggestion

 

Certainly I'm not going to speculate on this tragedy, but in Grand Cayman last December it was a bit windy; we were on the dock when the HAL shore excursion rep said anyone who wanted to cancel could do so. He offered a refund or a switch to another excursion. We did our snorkel trip as planned and had a great time.

[iheartbda]

Certainly I'm not going to speculate on this tragedy, but in Grand Cayman last December it was a bit windy; we were on the dock when the HAL shore excursion rep said anyone who wanted to cancel could do so. He offered a refund or a switch to another excursion. We did our snorkel trip as planned and had a great time.

I think the cruise lines offer a good bit of latitude for cancelling if there is a weather issue. I had the same thing happen on another line in Grand Cayman when the weather was too rough for an excursion.

[bac32708]

We were on the Star Princess and left on a float plane/cruise at about the same time from Promech Air as the flight that crashed. Our pilot made a point heading out that we were going to stay at a low altitude and away from the mountains due to the weather. He apologized that we wouldn't be seeing any mountain goats and stay mostly over water. Great decision!

 

After our 30-45 minute flight, we were dropped off for a 2.5 hour catamaran cruise back to Ketchikan. After an hour, our boat captain advised we were being asked to go into Princess Bay to investigate an emergency signal, as we were the closest vessel at the time. We were asked to look for anything unusual. After an hour, we were released as a helicopter was now searching. On our way back, we saw a Coast Guard vessel heading in that direction.

 

It wasn't until we were back on the ship, did I see on CNN what had happened. It was a bit unnerving after learning the plane came from the same operator, at about the same time. But more sad for all those affected. Prayers to their families and loved ones.

[KW_Cruisers]

That would be wonderful if cruise lines had better cancellation policies - Going out to sea in the face of a hurricane should be something cruise lines allow for full refund too.

 

Wonder when cruise lines might get more responsible when making decisions at sea - or excursions - or during health crisis.

 

Maybe someday cruise lines and airlines won't make sick people participate or lose their cash.

 

When cruise lines or airlines decide to change or cancel a flight, they make it seem like not big deal - We want to make a change & big penalties

 

Come on guys - give folks a break to not head off in dangerous weather.

 

I think that is a great suggestion

[Lulubelle45]

Today I took a float plane from Victoria to Vancouver and noticed they were stricter in regards to baggage. Not only did they weigh my purse (3lbs) but we were not permitted to have them on our laps as previous. The check in clerk said they were told to be more stringent with the rules. Don't know if this is a coincidence or due to the crash.