A navajo crashed off of kodiak island the other day, here is the most recent report.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/257004.htmlpictures at the above link.
Crash survivor says cargo door flew open
NOSE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT: It happened right before the crash that killed six people in Kodiak.
By RACHEL D'ORO
The Associated Press
(01/07/08 00:01:29)
The door to a nose baggage compartment popped open just before a charter plane carrying Russian Orthodox Old Believers crashed into shallow water off Kodiak, one of four survivors told crash investigators Sunday.
Six people were killed in Saturday's crash of the twin-engine Piper PA-31 Navajo Chieftain.
Among them were the pilot and five Old Believers who had been fishing in Kodiak and were flying to Homer to celebrate Eastern Orthodox Christmas, which is today.
Before he boarded another plane bound for Homer on Sunday, passenger Karnely Ivanov told the National Transportation Safety Board the baggage door on the nose of the small plane opened just after takeoff.
"The pilot made a right turn, the door went to full open at that time, and the airplane descended into the water," NTSB investigator Clint Johnson said.
The investigation is continuing, Johnson said. An engineer from Piper was expected to arrive Sunday .
"We want to look at the aerodynamic qualities of opening a very large door in flight," Johnson said. "This does not signal an end of our investigation of the crash by any means."
Johnson said it appeared the four survivors -- Ivanov, 32, of Anchor Point; Feodot Basargin, 33, of Anchorage; Anton Rijkoff, 30, of Anchorage; and Andrean Basargin, 25, of Homer -- were seated in the tail of the nine-passenger plane.
Killed were pilot Robin Starrett, 50, of Kodiak and five passengers from the Homer area: Stefan F. Basargin, 36; Pavel F. Basargin, 30; Zahary F. Martushev, 25; Iosif F. Martushev, 15; and Andrian Reutov, 22.
Ivanov caught a plane Sunday afternoon to Homer, and another survivor took a commercial flight to Homer on Saturday night, Johnson said.
The other two survivors were flown to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, where one -- Feodot Basargin -- remained hospitalized in fair condition Sunday, said John Callahan, spokesman for Providence Health and Services Alaska.
Iosif "Joe" Martushev was a ninth-grader at Kachemak Selo school, and Reutov and Zahary Martushev were former students there, said Randy Creamer, the school's principal.
The small school sits near Homer on the Kenai Peninsula in one of three Old Believer villages in the area.
Creamer described Iosif as an artistic student who loved to make sketches of moose, snowmobiles and fishing boats. Zahary Martushev was married and had several children, and Reutov got married recently, Creamer said.
The school planned to have extra staff on hand to counsel students when classes resume Wednesday, Creamer said.
"This being such a small place, it's hitting people really hard," he said.
The wreckage from the chartered flight, operated by Kodiak-based Servant Air, was recovered Sunday, Johnson said. The plane crashed about 50 feet off the runway. Dean Andrew, piloting a floatplane that had been taxiing nearby, pulled the four survivors aboard.
One of the men was bleeding profusely from a head wound, and all of them were hysterical, saying that family members were in the submerged plane, Andrew said.
"Once I got the four in, I could see down into the fuselage, but I couldn't see any signs of life," Andrew said. "I had an emotional time. I thought about diving in, but I had to keep the plane running to hold it steady against the wind."
Andrew said he heard Starrett on his plane's radio saying he needed to return to the airport. Andrew said he could tell by his voice that something serious was going on.
"I decided to stay put in case I was needed," Andrew said. "I had a feeling something would happen."
Cape Smythe Air,which my company acquired shortly before I started here, had a crash involving a navajo off of point hope. In that case the nose baggage door came open after takeoff, was blown off, and went through the propeller, destroying it. It ended up on the sea ice.
Additional information as it becomes availible.
