Sightseeing plane missing in Alaska.

[AKJonesy]

1 hour ago, VintageGeo said:

If anyone knows, can the pilot activate the alert or is it solely automatic?

The pilot can do it and it is activated during a crash

[LAFFNVEGAS]

This just brings tears to my eyes, I mourn for those that lost their lives, but also for those fellow passengers sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam. The rest of the cruise will be painfull. My heart goes out to the families of those that lost their lives as well as the crew on board the Nieuw Amsterdam. It is just so tragic 😢

[Radbooks]

This is heart-breaking. Prayers for the families and friends.

[AncientWanderer]

3 minutes ago, AKJonesy said:

The pilot can do it and it is activated during a crash

 

Thank you, AKJonesy.  Very sad day for all in Alaska.   So many are sending their love your way.

[smurfgirl06]

It's awful.  I was watching those planes go in and out last week and in my mind I thought, "nope, never."  My heart breaks for the passengers and crew on board. 

[Nancy&Frank]

Prayers for all ❤️‍🩹

May the souls that were lost in this tragedy rest in God’s eternal peace🙏🏼

[VintageGeo]

20 minutes ago, AKJonesy said:

The pilot can do it and it is activated during a crash

Thanks for the info.

[mr. godfredo]

Very sad indeed. My heart goes out to those that perished as well  as their loved ones.

[InTheWASide]

Such a shame and this happens far too often. I know this isn't a HAL tour but they just need to stop offering the ability to do this $%#@ tour at all in Ketchikan... far too many lives lost, these included... so sad 😢

[peety3]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

It’s sad.  I don’t think it makes a difference if it’s a HAL tour or a private one.  They use the same planes.

In many cases, the cruise lines negotiate exclusivity, such that the operators are highly motivated to only sell to the cruise lines or to non-cruising individuals, never independently to folks who "happen to be in town via the cruise ship".

 

We knew who the operator was for one of the whale watches, and wanted to arrange to go out twice, even though Princess didn't offer enough options to be able to do that through the cruise line (let alone it wouldn't be packaged as conveniently as if we simply stayed at the dock for the second tour). They couldn't commit until the day of the tour, and actually couldn't commit until we were out on the first tour, yet they made sure we had paper tickets in hand so we could pay as if we were taking another tour through the cruise line. That's how scared the tour operators are regarding being caught selling tours to cruise passengers outside the system.

[quack2]

28 minutes ago, peety3 said:

In many cases, the cruise lines negotiate exclusivity, such that the operators are highly motivated to only sell to the cruise lines or to non-cruising individuals, never independently to folks who "happen to be in town via the cruise ship".

 

We knew who the operator was for one of the whale watches, and wanted to arrange to go out twice, even though Princess didn't offer enough options to be able to do that through the cruise line (let alone it wouldn't be packaged as conveniently as if we simply stayed at the dock for the second tour). They couldn't commit until the day of the tour, and actually couldn't commit until we were out on the first tour, yet they made sure we had paper tickets in hand so we could pay as if we were taking another tour through the cruise line. That's how scared the tour operators are regarding being caught selling tours to cruise passengers outside the system.

I've scheduled three flightseeing trips out of Ketchikan while on cruises.  Never through the cruise line.  One was cancelled due to weather.  The other two were great trips on a de Havilland Beaver like the one that crashed today.  I believe the Beaver holds 5 passengers and the pilot.  The de Havilland Otter is a larger float plane that some companies operate. 

 

It is a risky excursion given the number of "incidents" over the years.  I fear the number will increase in the future if cruising gets back to normal.  Larger cruise ships and packed ports mean more demand for flightseeing.  That may attract less experienced operators to the area hoping to take advantage.  That worries me.

Edited August 6, 2021 by quack2

[Nymich]

How terrible how sad.

RIP

Edited August 6, 2021 by Nymich

[julia]

Tears and prayers and more tears and more prayers....  my heart is seriously aching right now.

[Copper10-8]

Thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the pilot and (Nieuw A) passengers of the flightseeing floatplane that went down in the Ketchikan area today. Tragic! 😞

[mightycruisequeen]

So heartbreaking.  Prayers for the families.

 

[TravelBluebird]

What a horrible tragedy; my heart goes out to the victims, their families, and everyone on the Nieuw Amsterdam. 

 

I took one of the float planes to Misty Fjords a couple years before the last disaster, the crash that killed 6. 

 

I remember how beautiful the trip was, but I remember we got an “older” looking plane than some of the others that went out that day, with yellowed, scratched windows, and I wondered at the safety of the whole thing.

 

One crash was too many; now there have been two fatal crashes in a very short period of time (and I think 1 before those as well).  

[Mandalay1903]

Very sad to hear this news.

[leerathje]

So sad to hear of this.  Sincere condolences to the families of the travellers and pilot.

 

L.

 

[puppycanducruise]

Thoughts and prayers to the families and friends.

[LouChamp]

prayers and blessings and love 

[doone]

This is so sad, prayers for all…..

[ski ww]

Condolences to the families of the passengers &  pilot. My wife and great daughter took one of those flights a few years back, they both enjoyed it.  

[Heartgrove]

The unfortunate statistic for small planes in Alaska is that there are 1-2 crashes daily throughout the state! The reliance on air travel is due to the ruggedness of the state's terrain.

[iMarco46]

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/266418

 

https://southeastaviation.com/mistyfjords.html

[Gsel]

Prayers for all and especially the families.