Sunday’s crash of a Taquan Air de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver (N67667), in which the pilot and his passenger were killed, marks the fifth fatal accident since 1996 and the second deadly accident this month for the Alaska-based charter operator. In all, 10 people aboard Taquan-operated aircraft have died from their injuries. Taquan was also involved in a serious nonfatal accident last year.
Meanwhile, the NTSB is still in the early stages of its investigation into the previous fatal accident this month that involved the May 13 midair collision between a Taquan single-turboprop DHC-3T Otter and a Mountain Air Service Beaver, which was fatal to one passenger in the Taquan-operated Otter and all five people aboard the Mountain Air Beaver. Both aircraft were flying sightseers. After this accident, Taquan said it was canceling all flights during the investigation, but shortly thereafter resumed flights.
In the latest crash, on May 20, the float-equipped, piston-engine Beaver overturned and came to rest partially submerged while landing off Metlakatla Harbor near Ketchikan, Alaska, on a commuter flight, not a sightseeing tour. The NTSB has dispatched investigators from its Anchorage Regional Office to investigate.
Clint Johnson, chief of the NTSB’s Alaska region, said the agency will treat the May 13 and May 20 mishaps as separate accidents. “We may draw parallels as we get into the analysis portion, but at this point we are just gathering factual information.”