Wien Air Alaska Flight 99

Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in Alaska to St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. On approach to Gambell on 30 August 1975, it crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain, east of the airport's runway. Of the 32 on board, ten were killed, including the pilot and co-pilot. The Fairchild F-27B aircraft was operated by Wien Air Alaska.

Wien Air Alaska: Flight 99
Fairchild F-27 aircraft
Accident
Date30 August 1975
1:57 pm BDT
SummaryControlled flight into terrain in fog, pilot error
SiteGambell, Alaska, U.S.
63.765°N 171.708°W / 63.765; -171.708
Aircraft
Aircraft typeFairchild F-27B
OperatorWien Air Alaska
RegistrationN4904
Flight originNome, Alaska
1st stopoverSavoonga, Alaska
DestinationGambell, Alaska
Occupants32
Passengers28
Crew4
Fatalities10
Injuries22
Survivors22
Gambell
Location in Alaska

Flight

Flight 99 originated in Nome on Saturday, 30 August 1975, bound for Savoonga and Gambell. The flight from Nome to Savoonga was uneventful, and the plane departed Savoonga for Gambell at 1:27 pm Bering daylight time.[1] As Gambell did not have a control tower, the Wien agent at Gambell, upon hearing the plane radio its departure from Savoonga, turned on the non-directional beacon at Gambell to aid the flight's crew in navigation.

Fog was prevalent in the Gambell area, and the crew discussed strategies to land at the airport. After several missed approaches, the plane flew north over the community, and turned east, and then south to make one final pass. The plane passed over Troutman Lake east of Gambell, and turned south, before impacting Sevuokuk Mountain at an elevation of 424 feet (130 m).[1]

After impact, the plane broke apart and was propelled up the mountain approximately 132 feet (40 m), coming to rest inverted. A fire broke out, and the residents of the village came to aid,[2][3] attempting to put the fire out with hand-held extinguishers.[1] All but one of the injured passengers were able to escape the wreckage. Most of the injured or killed passengers were natives of Nome, Gambell, or Savoonga.[4]

Cause

The cause of the crash, according to the NTSB, was improper IFR (Instrument flight rules) operation, failing to adhere to instrument approach procedures. The airplane collided with a mountain on a missed approach to landing, after multiple missed approaches. The weather at the airport was unsafe for landing, with a low ceiling and sea fog.[1][5]

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References
  1. Air Disaster, NTSB Report, Wien Air Alaska Fairchild F-27B, N4904, Gambell, St. Lawrence, Alaska.
  2. "Propjet crashes in Alaska". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. 31 August 1975. p. 2A.
  3. "Eskimo villagers rescue crash survivors". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. 1 September 1975. p. 2A.
  4. Beitler, Stu. Gambell AK Airliner Crashes into hillside, September 1975. Fairbanks News-Miner, 2 September 1975.
  5. NTSB Report on the Crash
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