Tragedy has again struck in Alaska. On August 5, 2021, there was yet another plane crash of a sight-seeing flight involving cruise ship passengers that docked in Ketchikan, Alaska. The passengers, who were aboard the Holland America ship Nieuw Amsterdam, were on a sightseeing flight operated by Southeast Aviation in a de Havilland Beaver float plane. Early reports indicate that five passengers and the pilot were killed when the aircraft impacted mountainous terrain in poor weather. There were reports of rain and mist in the area with a ceiling of 900 feet. The cruise line has stated that the sightseeing flight was being operated by an independent tour operator and was not sold by Holland America. The National Transportation Safety Board, who recently held a roundtable discussion concerning the alarming number of aviation crashes in Alaska, have sent a “go-team” to the site of the accident.
Aviation operations in Alaska are particularly dangerous especially during the summer months given the rapidly changing weather conditions and the congested Visual Flight Rules (“VFR”) airspace. The lawyers at Speiser Krause have specialized experience representing victims and their families of Alaskan aviation accidents, having recently concluded claims brought by multiple victims of the May 13, 2019 mid-air collision that took place between two de Havilland float planes near Ketchikan, Alaska. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims of this tragedy.
We will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.