ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 157741
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 21 July 2013 |
| Time: | 11:50 |
| Type: |  Cessna T207A/Soloy Turbine 207 |
| Owner/operator: | Katmai Air LLC |
| Registration: | N499K |
| MSN: | 20700632 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 11536 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20S |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Naknek River near King Salmon, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | King Salmon, AK |
| Brooks Camp, AK | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot was conducting a scheduled commuter flight with six passengers on board the float-equipped airplane. The pilot began the takeoff going up the left side of the river and was aware of boats on the right side of the river. The pilot brought the airplane to the step-taxi position and then backed off the power with the intent to apply full power and take off once the airplane was past the boats. The airplane subsequently struck an18.5-ft open fishing boat and nosed over inverted in the water. The pilot and the passengers reported that they never saw the boat that the airplane hit.
The boat operator reported that the boat was idling in neutral as it drifted downriver when he heard and then saw the airplane coming straight toward his boat. The boat operator put the boat into reverse to try to avoid the collision, but, as he backed the boat away, the airplane struck the front right side of it with its left float.
The pilot noted that the boat (which was small and olive-drab colored) may have visually blended with other boats and seaplanes parked along the side of the river, and the boat operator said that seaplanes were sometimes difficult to hear when coming from downriver. Both the pilot and the boat operator were familiar with operating in the multiple-use waterway, and each of them were aware of the presence of both seaplane and boat traffic on the morning of the accident. There are no separate designated areas for seaplane traffic and boat traffic in the area in which the accident occurred, and there is no radio contact between the pilots and the boat operators. Although regulations specify right-of-way rules for aircraft and vessels conducting water operations and provide course alteration rules based on their respective positions, the pilot never saw the boat to determine its relative position, and, by the time the boat operator saw the airplane’s position, the collision was imminent.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate visual lookout while departing from a multiple-use waterway, which resulted in a collision with a drifting boat. Contributing to the accident were the lack of visual conspicuity of the boat and the limited amount of time the boat operator had to maneuver the boat once he heard and saw the oncoming airplane.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 8 August 1990 | N73835 | Katmai Air Inc | 0 | King Salmon, AK | |
sub |
Location
Images:
Photo: Alaska Department of Public Safety
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Jul-2013 22:41 | Geno | Added |
| 23-Jul-2013 02:45 | snj | Updated [Source] |
| 23-Jul-2013 18:39 | harro | Updated [Damage] |
| 05-Aug-2016 12:05 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 29-Nov-2017 08:48 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation