AK AK - 3 people, aboard missing medevac aircraft en route to Kake, Anchorage, 29 Jan 2019

  • #21
Guardian Flight‏ @Guardian_Flight


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  • #22
The Latest: Names released of those onboard missing plane

The Latest on missing medical flight in Alaska (all times local):

6:35 p.m.

Guardian Flight, which operated the medical airplane that went missing in Alaska, has released the names of those onboard.

The pilot is 63-year-old Patrick Coyle, the flight nurse is 30-year-old Stacie Rae Morse, and the flight paramedic is 43-year-old Margaret Langston Allen. The company statement says all are based in Juneau.

[...]
 
  • #23
Search teams in Alaska find airplane debris as they hunt for a missing medical plane | Daily Mail Online

Search teams have found debris off an island on the Alaskan coast after a medical plane with three aboard went missing on Tuesday.

[...]

The search is continuing for the missing plane, despite the discovery of debris, Hengen said.

The twin-engine plane took off from Anchorage and was expected to land in Kake at 6.19pm on Tuesday, but it never arrived.

Federal accident investigators were reviewing radar flight information received from the plane, but no clues could be found from its flight pattern.

'We don't even know for sure that we have an accident,' said Clint Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board in Alaska.

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  • #24
In many part of the country, air ambulance service is being cut back due to the extreme expense and lack of necessity in terms of patient outcomes. For example, in Indiana, it used to be that anyone could summon a trauma helicopter- and the patient was stuck with $10,000 or more in costs. That is changing- but it is driving the restriction.

Obviously, Alaska requires both helicopter and fixed-wing air service - as do much of the rural West.

God bless these heroes.
 
  • #25
Family and fellow first responders not giving up hope until they find the missing Guardian flight

The lights were on at the Guardian Flight Hangar and offices in Juneau Wednesday night, where all three of the crew members on the missing flight were based. The company has said their fellow employees are “devastated” over what’s happening.

Reports of wreckage found, and the release of all three names on board the Guardian flight missing since Tuesday, have family members in emotional agony and search crews painstakingly dedicated to finding the air ambulance.

The Coast Guard said Wednesday evening that debris from a plane had been found about 22-miles west of Kake, but officials don't know if it's from the missing King Air 200 air ambulance.

[...]

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  • #26
In many part of the country, air ambulance service is being cut back due to the extreme expense and lack of necessity in terms of patient outcomes. For example, in Indiana, it used to be that anyone could summon a trauma helicopter- and the patient was stuck with $10,000 or more in costs. That is changing- but it is driving the restriction.

Obviously, Alaska requires both helicopter and fixed-wing air service - as do much of the rural West.

God bless these heroes.
I got life flighted once from a highway, $15,000 out of pocket. Thank the Lord every day for those pilots.
The Latest: Names released of those onboard missing plane

The Latest on missing medical flight in Alaska (all times local):

6:35 p.m.

Guardian Flight, which operated the medical airplane that went missing in Alaska, has released the names of those onboard.

The pilot is 63-year-old Patrick Coyle, the flight nurse is 30-year-old Stacie Rae Morse, and the flight paramedic is 43-year-old Margaret Langston Allen. The company statement says all are based in Juneau.

[...]
In my opinion as someone that flew for a living for many years, I'm guessing major control malfunction, severe icing with stall, or cardiac event (the pilot was 63). The King Air is a really stable, reliable, and easy to fly turboprop. Debris in the water (searcher reports said it was part of a wing) means a high-speed impact and also that they probably died on impact, rather than by drowning. My prayers for the searchers, they are out there in brutal conditions.
 
  • #27
The Coast Guard said Wednesday evening that debris from a plane had been found about 22-miles west of Kake, but officials don't know if it's from the missing King Air 200 air ambulance.

How long does it take to confirm if the pieces are from the ambulance?
 
  • #28
How long does it take to confirm if the pieces are from the ambulance?
Good question. They will probably have to send it in to the FAA or something?

Maybe @GraceG knows better.
 
  • #29
Good question. They will probably have to send it in to the FAA or something?

Maybe @GraceG knows better.
Wreckage is removed when possible (depends on environment)and transported to a hangar at the nearest airport (sometimes private aircraft owners will let the FAA and NTSB use their private hangar, other times it may be a hangar at a Fixed Base Operation). The NTSB doesn't do ALL fatal accidents, some they just get copies of all the FAA's findings and go from there, but on high profile ones both will have teams. The FAA team is usually from the nearest Flight Standards office, but on high profile ones often a special team fro the Washington DC office works it. They run separate but parallel investigations - the FAA is looking at nine defined areas of responsibility (FAA Order 8020.11)and whether any federal laws were broken that will require enforcement (civil penalty of suspension or revocation of an airman or operator certificate) and the NTSB is looking at the probable cause. They may be joined by an investigator from the aircraft manufacturer who is made an official party to the investigation. If there are human remains the FAA team is responsible for getting a "tox box' to the coroner for tissue samples for toxicology tests which are shipped off and done in OKC. The coroner then does the autopsies. Identification of the plane is typically done with the Registration Number(known as the N number) if enough of the fuselage is intact or data plates on the engines or copies of any maintenance or engine logs kept on the airplane.
 
  • #30
Wreckage is removed when possible (depends on environment)and transported to a hangar at the nearest airport (sometimes private aircraft owners will let the FAA and NTSB use their private hangar, other times it may be a hangar at a Fixed Base Operation). The NTSB doesn't do ALL fatal accidents, some they just get copies of all the FAA's findings and go from there, but on high profile ones both will have teams. The FAA team is usually from the nearest Flight Standards office, but on high profile ones often a special team fro the Washington DC office works it. They run separate but parallel investigations - the FAA is looking at nine defined areas of responsibility (FAA Order 8020.11)and whether any federal laws were broken that will require enforcement (civil penalty of suspension or revocation of an airman or operator certificate) and the NTSB is looking at the probable cause. They may be joined by an investigator from the aircraft manufacturer who is made an official party to the investigation. If there are human remains the FAA team is responsible for getting a "tox box' to the coroner for tissue samples for toxicology tests which are shipped off and done in OKC. The coroner then does the autopsies. Identification of the plane is typically done with the Registration Number(known as the N number) if enough of the fuselage is intact or data plates on the engines or copies of any maintenance or engine logs kept on the airplane.
Wow, I asked Alexa but she answered the airships Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg operated regular transatlantic flights from Germany to North America and Brazil in the 1930‘s. LOL. :D

You are aleays the better choice to ask!
 
  • #31
It sounds like the debris field is in the water. May be a long recovery. The nurse was 7 months pregnant per comments.




Guardian Flight Alaska
1 hr ·
While the Coast Guard and others continue the search for the missing Guardian Flight aircraft off the coast of Alaska, the debris found by searchers, unfortunately, gives us a very strong indication that it was our airplane. While search and rescue efforts are continuing in an attempt to find survivors, we are resigned to accept that the aircraft was ours.

On board were Pilot Patrick Coyle, 63, Flight Nurse Stacie Rae Morse, 30, and Flight Paramedic Margaret Langston, 43, all based in Juneau. (Margaret was earlier identified as Margaret Langston Allen, but we have been informed by her family that she was recently married, and her last name is now Langston.) We continue to ask for everyone’s prayers and support as we focus on families, crew members, and the entire Guardian Flight team and extended family of all those involved.
– Randy Lyman, Guardian Flight
3:25 PM CT January 31st Update
 
  • #32
  • #33
Private search continues for 3 aboard missing Alaska plane | Newstalk 750 - 103.7 KFQD

The owners of an air ambulance that went missing in Alaska say they’re working with a helicopter company and others to search for the remains of the three people who presumably died in a crash.

Guardian Flight says that as weather permits, Juneau-based Temsco Helicopters is conducting aerial searches for the King Air 200 that disappeared last week en route to pick up a patient in the southeast community of Kake.

[...]
 
  • #34
Searchers find beacon signal of missing Alaska plane

The owners of an air ambulance that disappeared in Alaska with three people on board say searchers have detected the beacon signal from the missing plane’s cockpit voice recorder.

Guardian Flight spokesman Jim Gregory says the signal was detected Tuesday.

The company says in a statement searchers will work on pinpointing the location of the device from the King Air 200 that disappeared Jan. 29 en route to pick up a patient in the southeast community of Kake.

[...]
 
  • #35
Searchers find beacon signal of missing Alaska plane

The owners of an air ambulance that disappeared in Alaska with three people on board say searchers have detected the beacon signal from the missing plane’s cockpit voice recorder.

Guardian Flight spokesman Jim Gregory says the signal was detected Tuesday.

The company says in a statement searchers will work on pinpointing the location of the device from the King Air 200 that disappeared Jan. 29 en route to pick up a patient in the southeast community of Kake.

[...]
That's good news - it would be even better if they could recover it. Such beacons are typically supplied with electrical power by a lithium battery. Once the beacon becomes immersed into water, a built-in "water switch" activates it via the water's presence completing an electrical circuit, and the beacon starts emitting its "pings"; the battery power should be sufficient for at least 30 days after the activation so they've got some time. And just an FYI "black boxes" are not black. They are bright orange and VERY heavy.
 
  • #36
By KLAS STOLPE

The search by an underwater submersible vehicle did not provide any visual clues for the location of the twin engine medevac plane with three people aboard that crashed in the waters 20 miles west of Kake on Jan. 29, a Guardian Flight official said today.
The King Air 200 aircraft operated by Guardian Flight disappeared from radar near the end of a flight from Anchorage to Kake.
Randy Lyman, Guardian Flight senior vice president of operations, said in a prepared statement that Guardian “has completed several planned phases in the search for our missing Guardian Flight family, and we are preparing for the next phase, which will continue within several days in the waters of Frederick Sound.”
“Once the Coast Guard’s wide area search was discontinued, we chartered the St. Jude support ship to continue the effort,” Lyman said in today’s statement. “The St. Jude’s crew deployed a towed sonar device in order to narrow the search radius through the detection of signals originating from the underwater beacon of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). That process led to a further narrowing of the search focus. The St. Jude then launched a submersible remotely operated vehicle in an attempt to visually identify the missing aircraft. That follow-up underwater search effort unfortunately did not reveal further information.”
Lyman said the next step is to equip the St. Jude with very specialized side scan towed sonar equipment that will trace details on the ocean floor in the search sector.
“Since we have the location of the CVR honed down to an identifiable area, this will be the best search tool going forward,” Lyman said in the release. “This process may take several days to complete but does not require underwater signals from the battery powered CVR to be effective. Side scan sonar is very sensitive and is intended to detect even small objects on the ocean floor that could aid us in our efforts to return our friends to their families.
“It could be a number of days before the side sonar equipment is ready to deploy and we have anything to report. However, we will continue to post updated reports as soon as information becomes available. Let’s continue to pray for our missing friends, their families and everyone who is affected by this tragedy.”
The United States Coast Guard oversaw several organizations in the initial search for the overdue aircraft including State Troopers; Army Air National Guard; Kake, Wrangell, and Petersburg Search and Rescue teams; Alaska Marine Highway ferries; Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center; numerous Good Samaritans; and Coast Guard Cutters Anacapa and Bailey Barco, MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from Air Station Sitka and Air Station Kodiak in an area where the last known position of the aircraft was known near the south tip of Admiralty Island in Chatham Strait.
They suspended the search on January 31 after nearly 70 hours of operation across 240 square nautical miles.
The three personnel on board the flight were pilot Patrick Coyle, 63, flight nurse Stacie Rae Morse, 30, and flight paramedic Margaret Langston, 43.
Guardian Flight resumed air medical transport service on February 7 in Anchorage, Deadhorse, Dillingham, Fairbanks, Ketchikan and Sitka.
 
  • #37
Guardian Flight Alaska
14 hours ago
Our search team, utilizing side scanning sonar technology, has located what might possibly turn out to be an unknown part of our missing aircraft in the extended search area. Indications are the object is possibly 25 feet long by 6 to 8 feet wide. It is at approximately 600 feet deep in Frederick Sound and within a mile of the underwater beacon signals from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (Black Box). In order to properly identify the object, our next step is to re-launch a submersible Remotely Operated Vehicle, which will take a number of days to accomplish. We are hopeful that this might be a positive step in the process to recover our missing friends and return them to their families. We will keep this space updated as soon as we know more.

Randy Lyman, Guardian Flight
8:00PM CT March 3rd Update
 
  • #38
  • #39
Black box from missing Guardian Flight recovered from Frederick Sound
Tuesday, March 19th 2019, 7:41 AM AKDT
Updated:
Tuesday, March 19th 2019, 7:44 AM AKDT
By: Elizabeth Roman

The submersible Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) commissioned by Guardian Flight has located and recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder (Black Box) of our aircraft under water in Alaska’s Frederick Sound. The ROV has also identified a landing gear and an engine from the aircraft.

The search for our beloved crew is continuing. All questions regarding recovery of the aircraft and the plans for the Cockpit Voice Recorder should be directed to the NTSB.

While this is a positive development in our search, the confirmation of our tragedy is a heartbreaking time for the Guardian Flight family and the families of our friends. Please respect their privacy and ours during this emotional and sad time.

As we continue the search for our beloved friends, we continue to honor their memory and recognize their contributions to the well being of Alaskans through their dedicated careers flying patients to higher levels of medical care.

We will continue to post updates as appropriate.

Black box from missing Guardian Flight recovered from Frederick Sound
 
  • #40
Black box from missing Guardian Flight recovered from Frederick Sound
Tuesday, March 19th 2019, 7:41 AM AKDT
Updated:
Tuesday, March 19th 2019, 7:44 AM AKDT
By: Elizabeth Roman

The submersible Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) commissioned by Guardian Flight has located and recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder (Black Box) of our aircraft under water in Alaska’s Frederick Sound. The ROV has also identified a landing gear and an engine from the aircraft.

The search for our beloved crew is continuing. All questions regarding recovery of the aircraft and the plans for the Cockpit Voice Recorder should be directed to the NTSB.

While this is a positive development in our search, the confirmation of our tragedy is a heartbreaking time for the Guardian Flight family and the families of our friends. Please respect their privacy and ours during this emotional and sad time.

As we continue the search for our beloved friends, we continue to honor their memory and recognize their contributions to the well being of Alaskans through their dedicated careers flying patients to higher levels of medical care.

We will continue to post updates as appropriate.

Black box from missing Guardian Flight recovered from Frederick Sound

That's good, they should be putting together a CVR workgroup (NTSB investigators, engineers, and sometimes an inspector from the FAA who is qualified on the aircraft type and familiar with its procedures if there are questions on some of the data). This is done at NTSB headquarters and it may take a few days but I hope it sheds some light on things.
 
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