Alaska Aircrash Investigations

Minutes after takeoff, an air taxi flight veered off course during a 40-mile flight from Juneau to Hoonah, and crashed into a steep mountain. The on-scene investigation and wreckage layout revealed the airplane and engine were not to blame. So what caused the pilot to take her unusual, and deadly, route? Join the investigators of the NTSB Alaska Regional Office as they battle 1,000-foot fjords, dense forests, and very dynamic weather on a quest to solve the mystery of a Cessna 207 accident that left four passengers injured and its pilot killed.

A brother's trip to celebrate his sister's wedding reception turns tragic when his Piper PA-18 Super Cub goes down just two miles from its destination. Making matters worse, his plane crashes into the Knik Arm, a treacherous inland waterway near Anchorage, with extreme tides, wild currents, and frigid water temperatures. Before the NTSB Alaska Regional Office can determine what went wrong, searchers must first find the airplane's wreckage. Join the investigation as detectives and Alaska state troopers work together to assemble the pieces of a celebratory occasion went wrong.

After officiating his daughter's wedding, a pilot flies celebratory passes over the reception party, with tragic results. Two months earlier, a seasoned and well-respected pilot crashes his plane into the river while conducting a routine post-maintenance flight. Follow the NTSB Alaska Regional Office investigations of two crashes: one which resulted in an unexplained loss of control, the other, by a surprising medical discovery. To find the cause of these accidents, they must navigate rough terrains, unpredictable waters, and also help the grieving families, friends and coworkers learn what happened.

Two hunters on a Cessna 180 fly low over the coastline of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula before making a steep and sudden climb. Seconds later, the plane slams into a bluff and bursts into flames, taking the lives of both men. The post-crash fire destroys crucial evidence needed to determine the cause of the accident. Follow local NTSB investigators as they attempt to solve the case, based on remaining clues, witness accounts, and a trip to Mobile, Alabama, where the plane's engine was manufactured.

September 15, 2015. In the dark, early morning hours on East Wind Lake, a Turbine Otter departs for a prime fishing spot on Cape Douglas, but it never arrives. Shortly after takeoff, the plane goes down in a remote area, leaving three dead. One survivor of the crash testifies that there was a mysterious sound shortly before the accident. However, it's a later discovery made by the NTSB Alaska Regional Office that blows the case wide open and reveals the preventable set of circumstances that led to the disaster.

The Cessna 150 is a simple and sturdy aircraft and a common training airplane of Alaska aviation. When one goes down, it is critical to determine probable cause quickly to see if the plane is at fault before others put themselves at risk. That's the challenge issued to NTSB's Millicent Hoidal after a Cessna goes down at Big Lake in October 2015. Follow her as she battles against winter's dwindling daylight hours and fire-damaged evidence to filter through a long list of possible reasons why this plane crashed.