SEATTLE — NTSB investigators are on the ground in Iliamna, Alaska trying to determine what caused Tuesday’s deadly float plane crash.
Three people were killed, but seven survived.
It is the third de Havilland DHC-3 Otter to crash in Alaska in less than three years.
Seattle aviation attorney Alisa Brodkowitz is convinced there's a larger problem and thinks the National Transportation Safety Board should issue a warning.
Brodkowitz represents the family of Walter Rediske, the pilot killed in a plane crash in Soldotna, Alaska, in July 2013.
Nine passengers died in the crash.
The same make and model, a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter, crashed in Ketchikan last June.
The excursion from a Holland America cruise ship killed nine.
Tuesday’s deadly crash in Iliamna is the third involving the same kind of plane in just over two years.
Not only are the planes the same make and model, records also show that each plane had its engine converted from a piston engine to a turbine engine.
Brodkowitz's lawsuit blames the engine conversion for the crash that killed her client.
“The problem is when you put this turbine engine on, you need to move it really forward in the aircraft to keep the same center of gravity for the aircraft,” said Brodkowitz. “In essence, you’re changing where the thrust is on the airplane. That changes the stall characteristics, aerodynamics, and is a potential safety issue.”
KIRO 7 checked with local experts at Kenmore Air, who have a good safety record.
They said not all turbine Otter conversions are the same and there are several types.
They weren't aware of any accidents involving a turbine Otter where there was mechanical failure contributing to the accident. They said the accidents come back to causal factors, like weather, terrain, and reduced visibility.
Brodkowitz is focused on the plane.
“Now we have three crashes, all presumed to have occurred on takeoff, all involving an engine conversion from piston to turbine and this is something the NTSB and FAA should take seriously,” Brodkowitz added.
Brodkowitz wants to talk to the survivors of Tuesday’s crash.
She says the floatplanes do not have black boxes or flight data recorders.
No one survived the first two crashes. The seven survivors from the Iliamna crash will be an important part of the NTSB investigation.
KIRO
