High schoolers recount deadly plane accident

Charlie Carroll, 16, had metal fragment removed from leg

The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the causes of the Oct. 17 plane accident that claimed one life. (Oct. 18, 2019) Photo courtesy of Jennifer Wynn
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the causes of the Oct. 17 plane accident that claimed one life. (Oct. 18, 2019) Photo courtesy of Jennifer Wynn

Oct. 17, a plane carrying the Cordova Jr./Sr. High School swim team crashed while landing at an Unalaska airport. One passenger died that evening of injuries sustained in the accident.

The Alaska State Troopers identified the victim as David Allan Oltman, 38, of Washington state. Oltman was apparently injured when part of the plane’s port propeller penetrated the cabin wall.

The accident took place around 5:40 p.m., when Alaska Airlines flight 3296 slid partially off the runway at Tom Madsen Airport, also known as Dutch Harbor Airport. The flight was operated by PenAir, which is owned by Ravn Air Group, from Anchorage to Dutch Harbor.

In photos of the accident, the Saab 2000 twin engine turboprop plane is seen with its nose hanging off a shallow embankment over water about 500 feet from the airport. Emergency services arrived on the scene within five minutes, according to a statement from the city of Unalaska.

Charlie Carroll, 16, was one of around 11 swim team members aboard the plane. The aircraft made a first, abortive approach to the runway, descending to around 200 feet with its landing gear extended, Carroll said. On its second approach, the aircraft didn’t touch down until it was already halfway down the runway. It was then that Carroll realized that something was wrong — that, in the next few seconds, the plane could careen off the end of the runway and into the ocean, he said.

In the moments after the plane left the runway and crashed, Carroll motioned other passengers toward the exits. The passenger in the seat next to Carroll had received a compound fracture to his leg.

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“I remember standing up and looking forward and thinking, ‘Oh, this actually happened,’” Carroll said. “The most difficult part was seeing everyone in horror.”

Carroll slipped and hit his head while crossing the plane’s wing. Three of the passengers injured in the accident were hurt by slipping on the wing, Carroll said.

After reuniting with the swim team, Carroll’s first thought was to call his mother Lisa and reassure her that he was safe. As Carroll’s adrenaline began to ebb, he noticed an uncomfortable sensation in his left leg — a small metal fragment embedded in the flesh, leaving a spot of blood soaking through his pants. As the rest of the team returned to Cordova on Oct. 18, Carroll was flown to Anchorage to have the fragment removed.

The aircraft carried 39 passengers and three crew members, according to a report from Alaska Airlines. Following the accident, 11 passengers were transported to Unalaska’s Iliuliuk Clinic, according to a statement from the city. One critically injured passenger was subsequently medevaced to Anchorage. One child under age 2 was also aboard the plane, said Clint Johnson, chief of the Alaska region for the National Transportation Safety Board, in an Associated Press report.

A Saab 2000 twin engine turboprop plane slid off a runway at Unalaska’s Tom Madsen Airport on Oct. 17. (Oct. 17, 2019) Photo courtesy of Jennifer Wynn
A Saab 2000 twin engine turboprop plane slid off a runway at Unalaska’s Tom Madsen Airport on Oct. 17. (Oct. 17, 2019) Photo courtesy of Jennifer Wynn

In the hours following the accident, conflicting accounts spread across social media, exacerbated by the fact that many Cordova students’ phones had poor reception around Unalaska. Wendy Ranney, whose son Jacob and husband Steve were aboard the flight, was notified by a seconds-long call from an unfamiliar number.

“I was caught off guard by the short call from my son,” wrote Wendy Ranney in an email to The Cordova Times. “‘Mom, the plane crashed, all ok…’ then dead air.”

While Jacob Ranney was uninjured, Steve Ranney sustained a concussion and cuts to his arms and face during the accident.

Initial reports from Cordova School District downplayed the accident’s severity.

“At approximately 6:11 pm this evening I received a phone call from the Superintendent of Schools in Unalaska that our team of swimmers and their chaperones were on the inbound flight that experienced difficulty in stopping on the airport runway,” read an email distributed by Cordova School District to high schoolers’ parents. “At present, all students and chaperones are accounted for and are OK, albeit a bit shaken up … Moments ago, I spoke again with Superintendent [John P.] Conwell who stated that the team was together, seemed fine, and were eating pizza.”

Flight 3296 was apparently forced beyond the edge of the runway by high winds, said an eyewitness quoted by the Associated Press. A measurement taken 16 minutes after the reported time of the accident indicated a stiff wind of 21 knots, gusting to 27 knots, according to the Ogimet weather service. Tom Madsen Airport’s runway is relatively short, with just 3,900 feet of landing space available, according to Federal Aviation Administration documents.

However, the conditions leading to the accident remain undetermined, said FAA spokesperson Allen Kenitzer.

PenAir is cooperating with the NTSB, which will be investigating the accident, said Debbie Reinwand, a spokesperson for Ravn Air Group. The NTSB had dispatched a team of nine investigators to the site, the agency announced via Twitter on Friday, Oct. 18. Agency investigators were present for the removal of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, Johnson told the Associated Press.

The runway was not damaged in the incident, city officials said. Freight and charter flights resumed landing at Tom Madsen Airport on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 19. Regular RavnAir flights via Unalaska are planned to resume during the week of Nov. 4, following FAA approval, Ravn Air Group announced in a release. Upon resuming service, RavnAir will switch from the Saab 2000 plane to the De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8. The plane involved in the accident has been moved to a site behind the airport runway, according to city officials.

“On behalf of PenAir, Ravn Air Group and all our employees throughout the company, we would like to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and loved ones of our passenger who passed away,” said Ravn Air Group President Dave Pflieger in a statement.

During a layover in Anchorage, students spent time with support dogs trained by NATIONAL Animal Assisted Crisis Response. Carroll said he hopes that Cordova’s now-canceled swim meet with Unalaska will be on again next year so he can attend. The accident hasn’t put him off flying, he said.

“I think that flying back from Unalaska was a good kind of therapy for a lot of the kids,” Carroll said. “It still is statistically the safest way to travel.”

PenAir and Ravn Air Group have established a family assistance line for anyone with loved ones aboard the flight, at 1-800-757-4784. The Aleutian Pribolof Islands Association has established a mental health counseling line available at either 907-581-2751 or 907-359-2743.


Annette Potter contributed to this report.

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