Rough terrain complicates efforts to recover bodies in crash

There were no survivors in the crash 6 miles northwest of the village of Russian Mission, 375 miles west of Anchorage. Troopers were heading to the scene Thursday to retrieve the bodies, agency spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

Rough terrain and the technically complicated nature of midair collisions are making the investigative response and recovery of the bodies difficult, said Clint Johnson, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska division.

The plane wreckages are about half a mile apart at the crash scene, which covers a large area accessible only by helicopter, Johnson said. An NTSB investigative team and troopers reached the scene late Wednesday afternoon, landing a quarter-mile from the Cessna, then hiking through woods thick with alder trees. There was no time for troopers to recover the victims Wednesday before responders had to depart before night fell, Johnson said.

“This is a very challenging area for what we need to do,” he said, adding the NTSB investigators were heading out again Thursday.

Piecing together what caused the planes to slam into each other means considering multiple variables, including what electronic equipment was on board and what frequencies were being monitored, Johnson said. Each plane had high wings located above its fuselage, raising the question of possible blind spots. The weather was clear, so it’s possible the sun might have temporarily blinded at least one of the pilots. In the non-radar area, pilots follow the rule of “see and avoid,” Johnson said.

“What we need to do is be able to re-create basically what took place during the accident sequence,” he said.

Given the vast role of aviation in the vast state, there are occasional midair collisions, including a nonfatal one in early August at the Wasilla airport, Johnson said. “I wouldn’t say that they’re rare, but they’re not common,” he said.

Representatives of Renfro’s did not immediately respond to requests for further information Thursday. Ravn said in a statement issued Thursday that its flight was operated by Hageland Aviation Services doing business as Ravn Connect.

“Hageland Aviation Services which operated Ravn Connect flight #3190 continues to co-operate with the FAA and NTSB. At this time, we are unable to provide additional information,” the statement said. “We continue to focus on assisting the families and friends of the victims of flight #3190.”

Fatal Hageland crashes in 2013 and 2014 played a part in the NTSB issuing an urgent recommendation in 2014 that Ravn companies undergo a comprehensive safety audit.

Ravn has since made positive changes, Johnson said. “As far as the NTSB is concerned, that’s history at this point right now,” he said.

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Follow Rachel D’Oro at https://twitter.com/rdoro

Rachel D’Oro, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Rough terrain complicates efforts to recover bodies in crash

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