T-storms, Hail During Alaska Crash

The NTSB has completed a majority of the on-site investigation into the August 16 fatal crash of a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplane in Ketchikan, Alaska. The airplane, N345KA, hit terrain during climb from Traitor’s Cove during a Part 135 air-tour flight to Ketchikan, killing five of the nine people on board. Most of the airplane–including the cockpit–was destroyed on impact. The investigation was hindered after the crash by the steep, heavily wooded terrain, and investigators planned to send the wreckage to a facility for detailed examination. Low-topped thunderstorms with strong outflow winds and hail were reported at the time of the crash.