I just saw this on AOL today, condolences to the family and friends.
Mike
Plane Crash North of Anchorage Kills Four
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (July eighteenth) - A plane carrying a family on a sightseeing trip crashed north of Anchorage, killing all four people aboard.
The single-engine Cessna 170 crashed Friday night near the Parks Highway north of Willow. The plane had been returning to Anchorage, about 50 miles southeast of the crash site, after a stop in Talkeetna, about 40 miles north, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Steven Linkhart, a Matanuska-Susitna Borough fire chief who responded to the crash, said the plane was mangled, with the tail broken off and one of the wings and the passenger cabin crushed.
"It was a very hard impact," Linkhart told the Anchorage Daily News.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. A National Transportation Safety Board investigator and a representative of the Federal Aviation Administration were on the scene Saturday.
The dead were identified as Curtiss Blake, 64, of Anchorage, his wife, Sigrid Blake, 58, their daughter, Christina Blake, 28, of Girdwood, and her boyfriend, Robert Toney, 36, who was the pilot.
The Blakes' daughter Jennie Blake said her parents and sister frequently traveled to Talkeetna to check out the galleries and sightsee.
Curtiss Blake, a music teacher, and Judy Blake, a kindergarten teacher, were retired from the Anchorage School District, family members and friends said. Christina Blake worked as an engineer.
07/18/04 19:06 EDT
170 down in AK
Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher
Thank you for the condolences. We are shocked and deeply saddened. Bob Toney was our airplane partner (in 4588C) and good friend. We will miss him dearly.
Bob was a great guy, very smart (chemical engineer by trade), honest, and fun to be around. He was always dependable and would go the extra mile to help anyone out. He loved the outdoors, especially fishing and would fly the plane often to Lake Creek and Alexander Creek, often with Christina or another friend in tow. He almost always brought his dog with him too.
Our sincerest condolences to his family, and to Jennifer, who lost her parents and sister in the accident.
Deb Moseley
Bob Moseley
Aaron McEwen
Bob was a great guy, very smart (chemical engineer by trade), honest, and fun to be around. He was always dependable and would go the extra mile to help anyone out. He loved the outdoors, especially fishing and would fly the plane often to Lake Creek and Alexander Creek, often with Christina or another friend in tow. He almost always brought his dog with him too.
Our sincerest condolences to his family, and to Jennifer, who lost her parents and sister in the accident.
Deb Moseley
Bob Moseley
Aaron McEwen
N4588C
N4588C wrote:Thank you for the condolences. We are shocked and deeply saddened. Bob Toney was our airplane partner (in 4588C) and good friend. We will miss him dearly.
Bob was a great guy, very smart (chemical engineer by trade), honest, and fun to be around. He was always dependable and would go the extra mile to help anyone out. He loved the outdoors, especially fishing and would fly the plane often to Lake Creek and Alexander Creek, often with Christina or another friend in tow. He almost always brought his dog with him too.
Our sincerest condolences to his family, and to Jennifer, who lost her parents and sister in the accident.
Deb Moseley
Bob Moseley
Aaron McEwen
Very sorry to hear this news.
Tim
ANOTHER ONE?
IS THIS ANOTHER 170 DOWN? THE ARTICLE IS IN THE NEW ORLEANS ONLINE THIS MORNING
"A Montana family was on board the Cessna 170, which crashed about
6:15 p.m. Friday near the Kustatan River on the west side of Cook Inlet,
about 70 miles southwest of Anchorage.
The plane was destroyed on impact, according to the Federal Aviation
Administration.
The Cessna was about a half-mile from a landing strip near the river when
it stalled, then went down on dry tundra, Alaska State Troopers said. The
weather was good at the time, troopers said.
Troopers identified the dead as Broadview, Mont., residents Joleen Joy
Dyess, 38, her husband, William Christopher Dyess, 29, and her daughter
Taryn Marie Pitsch, 17. Also killed was the pilot, Christopher Copple, 43."
ANYONE KNOW THE PILOT/OWNER?
"A Montana family was on board the Cessna 170, which crashed about
6:15 p.m. Friday near the Kustatan River on the west side of Cook Inlet,
about 70 miles southwest of Anchorage.
The plane was destroyed on impact, according to the Federal Aviation
Administration.
The Cessna was about a half-mile from a landing strip near the river when
it stalled, then went down on dry tundra, Alaska State Troopers said. The
weather was good at the time, troopers said.
Troopers identified the dead as Broadview, Mont., residents Joleen Joy
Dyess, 38, her husband, William Christopher Dyess, 29, and her daughter
Taryn Marie Pitsch, 17. Also killed was the pilot, Christopher Copple, 43."
ANYONE KNOW THE PILOT/OWNER?
OLE GAR SEZ - 4 Boats, 4 Planes, 4 houses. I've got to quit collecting!
It is another one!
The Kustatan is a very popular fly-in grass strip, just across the inlet from Anchorage. Actually there is a deep sand strip there also. Traffic can be crowded when the Salmon are running. Lots of Brown Bears to observe while flying. Hate to see these summer / fall crashes every year! Especially hate to see 170's leading the way this year! Hunting Season starts August 10th...
The Kustatan is a very popular fly-in grass strip, just across the inlet from Anchorage. Actually there is a deep sand strip there also. Traffic can be crowded when the Salmon are running. Lots of Brown Bears to observe while flying. Hate to see these summer / fall crashes every year! Especially hate to see 170's leading the way this year! Hunting Season starts August 10th...
Chris was a good friend of mine. He was a prince of a guy, supper nice. The kind of guy that would do anything to help you out. He will be greatly missed. I flew over on Saturday to look at the wreck. Not much left, it went straight in. It could not have been more vertical. The nose of the plane is buried all the way up into the leading edge of the wings in the ground. The fuselage is busted in half about midway between the wings and the tail and laided over to the left. It appears he was turning base to final and stalled in the turn. You know the aviation croud is some of the best guys I have ever met and most of my best friends are pilots. The draw back to hanging with the aviation croud is, we tend to loose alot of good friends. Especially in Alaska. It could happen to any of us. Fly safe guys. You never have to look too far to see how lucky you are! May God be with you!
Shawn
Shawn
One of my co-employee's, a close friend of Chris's also, is telling me about the investigation. He's not a pilot and got the report 2nd hand so keep that in mind. His understanding was that Chris was flying the 170, but he was used to flying a 180 and hadn't flown the 170 much. He aborted a first attempt at the Kustatan and stalled in a turn going back in for the 2nd attempt. What I'd like to know more about is that he understood the first attempt was aborted because the cowling broke loose! Anyone have knowledge of this investigation or about the other 170 crash?
Dave
Dave
Chris owned a Cessna 150 taildrager with a 160hp engine in it, that was what he was used to flying. He had flown this 170B off and on over the last year, it was his buddys. As I understand he flew through the strip on a down wind to check it out before landing. It was a pretty windy turbulent day. He had two notches of flaps on and yes witnesses have said that the cowling did come open. This was a 52' 170B so it had the big cowl doors. He left the two notches of flaps on and swung out to make a 180 and come back into land. During this turn it stalled.
Shawn
Shawn