Incident Overview
During a charter flight from Kenai to Dutch Harbor, while traversing the Aleutian Islands, the crew determined that the fuel reserve was insufficient to continue to the destination. In response, the crew decided to reduce altitude and execute a ditching of the aircraft off Akutan Island. All five occupants were quickly rescued, but the aircraft was lost.
Probable Cause and Contributing Factors
The official investigation identified the probable cause as inadequate preflight preparation on the part of the crew. Several contributing factors were reported:
- Improper in-flight decisions
- Mismanagement of fuel
- Miscalculation of fuel consumption
- Airways facilities issues
- The pilot ditched the aircraft due to low fuel state
- The Driftwood Bay beacon was inoperative due to antenna damage
Investigation Details
The findings point to errors made before and during the flight, including poor fuel planning and decision-making. The inoperative beacon at Driftwood Bay was noted as a contributing factor, though no further details were provided regarding its role.