NTSB Announces Investigative Hearing for Fatal Alaska Commuter Flight Crash
The incident occurred on Oct. 2, 2016 near Togiak, Alaska
According to a news release, the NTSB has scheduled an investigative hearing for Aug. 17, 2017, in Anchorage, Alaska, as part of an ongoing investigation into flight 3153. The flight incident occurred on Oct. 2, 2016, near Togiak, Alaska.
This is the first investigative hearing held outside of Washington in almost 20 years, according the news release.
For context: Flight 3153 was a schedule commuter flight operated by Hageland Aviation Services, Inc. The plane carried two pilots and one passenger, and impacted mountains at 11:54 a.m., 21 minutes after takeoff. There were no survivors from the incident.
“The NTSB is conducting this investigative hearing in Alaska because the majority of witnesses we want to hear from are in Alaska,” said board member Earl F. Weener. “We also believe that holding the hearing in Alaska will help increase awareness within the Alaskan aviation community of the issues surrounding controlled flight into terrain accidents and flight into instrument meteorological conditions.”
Some of the issues that will be discussed at the hearing include: operational control, pilot training, and safety management.