Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Juneau, Alaska
Piper Aircraft; Chino Hills, California
Lycoming Engines; Gilbert, Arizona
Hartzell Propellers; Piqua, Ohio
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N7376Y
Location: Haines, AK
Accident Number: WPR17FA108
Date & Time: 05/27/2017, 1101 AKD
Registration: N7376Y
Aircraft: PIPER PA 30
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 2 Fatal, 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On May 27, 2017, about 1101 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-30, airplane, N7376Y, collided with the ground shortly after a low-level pass over a remote airstrip at Glacier Point, which is located 12 miles southeast of Haines, Alaska. The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger in the right front seat were fatally injured, and a rear-seated passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to the pilot who was operating it under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from Juneau International Airport (PAJN), Juneau, Alaska, about 1015 and was destined for Haines Airport (PAHN), Haines, Alaska.
An eyewitness located across Chilkat Inlet, which was about 2 miles east of the shoreline of Glacier Point, and using binoculars saw the accident airplane flying northbound at tree level near the airstrip. He stated that, as the airplane reached the end of the airstrip, it dropped in altitude, banked to the right, and impacted the shoreline in a right-wing-down, nose-down attitude. The airplane came to rest near the edge of a canal about 1/4-mile northeast of the north end of the airstrip (See Figure 1). The eyewitness and three other people responded to the accident site by boat and called local authorities when cell coverage was available when they were about halfway across the canal. According to the eyewitness, as they arrived at the accident site, the rear-seated passenger was the only airplane occupant who was responsive, but he could not be removed from the airplane. Within minutes, tidal water was surrounding and flooding the airplane. A tractor brought to the site from a local tour facility was used to drag the airplane to shallow water. Local authorities arrived soon after and extricated the passengers.
Figure 1-Aerial Image of the Accident SiteAccording to the rear-seated passenger aboard the accident airplane, about 20 minutes into the flight, the pilot intentionally shut down the right engine to demonstrate how to restart the engine during flight. Despite several attempts, the engine would not restart with electrical power. The pilot then made several attempts to air start the engine by gaining altitude and then diving the airplane down to use airflow to assist in rotating the engine. After two unsuccessful attempts to air start the engine, the pilot decided to descend to a lower altitude, fly to the airstrip at Glacier Point, and use the battery booster (which was located in the baggage compartment) after landing to start the engine. As the airplane approached the airstrip, the pilot made a low-level pass to check the condition of the airstrip surface; this was the last thing the passenger remembered about the flight.
A friend of the pilot reported that he flew with the accident pilot in the accident airplane on the day before the accident. The friend stated that he and the pilot were preparing to depart PAJN for a planned flight to Gustavus Airport (PAGS), Gustavus, Alaska. As the airplane was taxiing to depart, the left engine "stalled" on the taxiway, and the pilot could not restart the engine using the starter due to low electrical power from the battery. They taxied back to the pilot's hangar, where they removed a battery from his hangered floatplane and installed it in the accident airplane. Despite these actions, both engines could not be started. The friend said that the floatplane battery did not supply enough electrical power to start the airplane engine. The pilot then parked his motor vehicle near the airplane, plugged in the airplane's jumper cables, and successfully jumpstarted both engines from the vehicle's battery. The pilot and his friend departed PAJN on an uneventful flight to PAGS. The friend stated that the pilot told him that he normally had a handheld battery booster in the airplane but that he had loaned it to the ground personnel at PAJN because they had a hard time starting the airport's fuel truck.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 29, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land; Single-engine Sea
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 3
Last FAA Medical Exam: 01/30/2013
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time:
Pilot-Rated Passenger Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 29, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3
Last FAA Medical Exam: 04/12/2016
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 81 hours (Total, all aircraft)
The pilot, age 29, held a private pilot certificate with multiengine land and single-engine land and sea ratings. The pilot's most recent FAA third-class airman medical certificate was issued on January 30, 2013, with no limitations. On his medical application, the pilot reported that his total flight experience during the previous 6 months was 0 hours. The pilot's logbook was not located during the investigation.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Registration: N7376Y
Model/Series: PA 30 NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1964
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 30-430
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection:
Certified Max Gross Wt: 2381 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 2 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time:
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: C91A installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: IO-320 SERIES
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 0 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
The airplane, which was manufactured in 1964, was an all-metal multiengine airplane that incorporated a semi-monocoque fuselage and empennage design. The airplane was equipped with fully cantilevered wings, electrically operated wing flaps, and electrically operated retractable tricycle landing gear.
The airplane was powered by a Lycoming IO-320-B1A reciprocating engine on the left wing and a Lycoming LIO-320-B1A reciprocating engine on the right wing, and each was rated at 160 horsepower. The engines had 4 cylinders, 320-cubic-inch displacement, and fuel injection. The right engine had a counter-rotating kit installed. Each engine drove a Hartzell 2-blade, single-acting, hydraulically operated, constant-speed propeller with feathering capability.
The airplane's electrical power was supplied by a 12-volt, direct-current, negative-ground system. The primary electrical source came from two 12-volt, 50-ampere alternators controlled by an overvoltage relay and voltage regulator. The overvoltage relay and voltage regulator were mounted on the aft bulkhead of the nose section. Secondary power was provided by a 12-volt, 35-ampere hour battery that supplies power for starting and was a reserve power source in the event of an alternator failure. The battery was mounted in a battery box located immediately aft of the baggage compartment. The amp/voltmeter instrument was installed in the instrument panel. Alternator isolation switches were mounted on the instrument panel.
According to FAA records, the airplane's charging system was modified on December 8, 1993, by the removal of the generators and installation of an alternator charging system in accordance with Supplement Type Certificate (STC) SA334SW. If both alternators were inoperative, the airplane battery would be the only remaining source of electrical power. If the airplane battery were depleted and electrical power was not available, the Piper Twin Comanche PA-30 Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) stated that the pilot must land with the flaps in the retracted position and must initiate the manual gear extension procedure and that the final approach landing speed must not exceed 100 mph or 87 knots.
The airplane was also modified with LoPresti front engine cowlings in accordance with STC SA3302SO. The cowling modification would not have permitted a visual examination of the front side of the engine and the alternator belts during a preflight walk-around inspection unless the upper cowling was removed.
The last entry in the airframe maintenance records was on August 20, 2014, when the last annual inspection was accomplished. At that time, the airplane had accumulated a total of 4,769 flight hours. No engine maintenance records were found. The airplane's Hobbs meter was not found in the wreckage. Due to impact damage to the cabin's digital instruments, the tachometer time at the time of the accident could not be determined.
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: PAHN, 16 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 10 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1854 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 336°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 7 knots
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: None
Wind Direction: 150°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 30.23 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 11°C / 6°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: JUNEAU, AK (JNU)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: Unknown
Destination: Haines, AK (PAHN)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1015 AKD
Type of Airspace:
At 1054, PAHN, located about 12 miles north of the accident site, reported the following conditions: wind from 150° at 7 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 11°C, dew point 6°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.23 inches of mercury.
Airport Information
Airport: Glacier Point Airstrip (UNK)
Runway Surface Type: Gravel
Airport Elevation: 2 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry; Rough; Vegetation
Runway Used: 33
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 200 ft / 50 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Unknown
The airstrip at Glacier Point is a remote airstrip near Davidson Glacier, on the west bank of the Chilkat Inlet. The airstrip was located at an elevation of about 2 ft mean sea level (msl). The runway was aligned north to south and was about 2,000 ft long. The runway surface was gravel and was in fair condition.
PAHN is 12 miles northwest of the accident site, was situated at an elevation of 15 ft above mean sea level. It was equipped with a single paved runway, designated 8/26, which measured 4,000 ft by 100 ft. PAHN was not equipped with an air traffic control tower.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 2 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal, 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 59.093889, -135.376667 (est)
The impact site was located on the western tidal flats of the Chilkat Inlet, about 1/4-mile northeast of the north end of the airstrip at Glacier Point.
The initial on-scene examination of the airplane by the NTSB-IIC and a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed impact damage consistent with a right-wing-down, nose-down attitude during ground impact. The airplane remained intact, all flight control surfaces were accounted for, and cable control continuity was confirmed. The landing gear was in the down position, and the landing gear position switch was in the down position. The landing gear extension motor release arm was found in the disengaged position. The emergency landing gear extension handle was removed from its stowed position and installed in a socket on the emergency disengage control. The flaps were in the up position and the flap lever was in the down position.
Both engines separated from their wing mounts and remained partially attached to their wings by control cables and tubing. One of the left propeller blades was in a feathered/high pitch position and the other blade was rotated toward a high pitch position that was beyond the feathered position. Both blades exhibited leading edge gouging, twisting toward high pitch and bending in the forward/thrust direction. Heavy chordwise/rotational scoring damage was isolated to the face side of both blades. One blade tip had fractured and separated; the separated tip was recovered at the crash site. The right propeller was found with both blades in the feathered position. One blade was bent rearward with no remarkable twisting, and one blade had no remarkable damage. The elevator trim actuator was found in the full nose-down position and the rudder trim indicator was in the nose-left position.
The wreckage was relocated to a hangar at PAGS, and examination of the wreckage showed that the right engine crankshaft propeller flange was bent to one side and that the rocker covers had impact damage. The right engine's exterior surfaces had a dark oily residue. Oil residue was observed in the area of the alternator pulley and belt. The right engine alternator was undamaged and secure, and no signatures suggested that the alternator was repositioned during the accident sequence. The alternator electrical wiring remained secure at the terminals. The alternator drive pulley rotated freely by hand, and the drive belt remained stationary with the crankshaft. The right engine alternator drive belt was loose when examined and was subsequently removed from the engine. The belt was excessively worn on the pulley contact area as shown in Figure 2. A spare alternator drive belt was found stowed to the engine; the stowed belt shared the same part numbers as the worn belt (Napa Premium XL 25-7365). According to the alternator STC installation instructions, a Franklin (P/N 14883) or a Goodyear 5L380 belts should be used.
Figure 2-Right Engine Alternator BeltThe left engine alternator was undamaged and secure, and no signatures suggested that the alternator was repositioned during the accident sequence. The alternator electrical wiring remained secure at each terminal. No belt was attached to the alternator pully, and no belt was recovered within the confines of the engine cowling. The alternator drive pulley forward face had impact damage, bending the edge of the forward face aft into the location where the drive belt would be positioned. There was no corresponding damage to the engine cowling in the area of the alternator pulley that would have resulted in damage to the alternator pulley. The alternator drive shaft rotated freely by hand. The alternator housing was covered in surface corrosion consistent to being submerged in salt water. A dark residue covered the forward side of the alternator and the drive pulley. The belt contact area in the alternator drive belt pulley and the crankshaft pulley was also covered in a dark residue.
The airplane battery separated from the main wreckage and remained in the battery box. The battery housing had impact damage revealing internal components. The terminal connections remained attached to the battery. A date of "6/15" was written on the top of the battery.
The amp/voltmeter instrument was removed from the instrument panel. The amp/volt selection toggle switch was damaged and found in the amp position.
The alternator isolation switches were found in the "ON" position. There were no annunciator lights or warning system that would have indicated either alternator had stopped working during operations.
A multimeter and battery jump-starter unit was found within the wreckage.
Medical And Pathological Information
The State Medical Examiner's Office in Anchorage, Alaska, conducted autopsies on the pilot and pilot-rated passenger. The pilot's cause of death was reported as "Blunt impacts ..." The pilot-rated passengers cause of death was also reported as blunt impacts.
Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory were negative on both the pilot and pilot-rated passenger for drugs, carbon monoxide and volatiles.
Additional Information
The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook states the following:
The basic difference between operating a multiengine airplane and a single-engine airplane is the potential problem involving an engine failure. The penalties for loss of an engine are twofold: performance and control. The most obvious problem is the loss of 50 percent of power, which reduces climb performance 80 to 90 percent, sometimes even more. The other is the control problem caused by the remaining thrust, which is now asymmetrical. Attention to both these factors is crucial to safe one engine inoperative (OEI) flight. The performance and systems redundancy of a multiengine airplane is a safety advantage only to a trained and proficient pilot.
Although it is a natural desire among pilots to save an ailing engine with a precautionary shutdown, the engine should be left running if there is any doubt as to needing it for further safe flight. Catastrophic failure accompanied by heavy vibration, smoke, blistering paint, or large trails of oil, on the other hand, indicate a critical situation. The affected engine should be feathered and the Securing Failed Engine checklist completed. The pilot should divert to the nearest suitable airport and declare an emergency with ATC for priority handling.
There are two different sets of bank angles used in OEI flight.
1. To maintain directional control of a multiengine airplane suffering an engine failure at low speeds (such as climb), momentarily bank at least 5° and a maximum of 10° towards the operative engine as the pitch attitude for VYSE [best rate of climb speed with OEI] is set. This maneuver should be instinctive to the proficient multi-engine pilot and take only 1 to 2 seconds to attain. It is held just long enough to assure directional control as the pitch attitude for VYSE is assumed.
2. To obtain the best climb performance, the airplane must be flown at VYSE and zero sideslip with the failed engine feathered and maximum available power from the operating engine. Zero sideslip is approximately 2° of bank toward the operating engine and a one-third to one-half ball deflection also toward the operating engine. The precise bank angle and ball position varies somewhat with make and model and power available. If above the airplane's single-engine ceiling, this attitude and configuration results in the minimum rate of sink.
In OEI flight at low altitudes and airspeeds such as the initial climb after takeoff, pilots must operate the airplane so as to guard against the three major accident factors: (1) loss of directional control, (2) loss of performance, and (3) loss of flying speed. All have equal potential to be lethal. Loss of flying speed is not a factor, however, when the airplane is operated with due regard for directional control and performance.
NTSB Identification: WPR17FA108
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, May 27, 2017 in Haines, AK
Aircraft: PIPER PA 30, registration: N7376Y
Injuries: 2 Fatal, 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On May 27, 2017, about 1101 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-30, a multiengine airplane, N7376Y, collided with the ground shortly after a low-level pass over a remote airstrip at Glacier Point, 12 miles southeast of Haines, Alaska. The commercial pilot, and a pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured, and a rear-seated passenger sustained serious injuries. The aircraft was registered to the pilot and operated as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Juneau International Airport, Juneau, Alaska, about 1015 and was destined for Haines Airport, Haines, Alaska.
An eyewitness located across Lynn Canal, about 2 miles east of Glacier Point, observed the accident airplane through binoculars, flying northbound at tree top level near the airstrip. He stated the airplane reached the end of the airstrip, descended just before it banked to the right, and subsequently impacted the shoreline in a right wing-down, nose-down attitude. The airplane came to rest near the water's edge about 1/4-mile northeast of the airstrip. The eyewitness and three other people responded to the accident site by boat. About halfway across the canal, when cell coverage was available, the witness called local authorities. The eyewitness stated that the rear-seated passenger was the only occupant that was responsive when they arrived at the accident site. The witnesses reported that impact damage prevented them from extricating the rear-seat occupant from the wreckage. Within minutes, tidal water rose and submerged the airplane. A tractor was brought to the site from a local tour facility, and used to drag the airplane to shallow water. Local authorities arrived shortly thereafter and extricated the rear-seated passenger.
The rear-seated passenger was interviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), and reported that about 20 minutes into the flight the pilot intentionally shut down the right engine and was demonstrating how to restart the engine during flight. Despite several attempts, the engine would not rotate through with electrical power to start the engine. The pilot then made several attempts to air-start the engine by gaining altitude and diving the airplane down to use airflow to assist in rotating the engine. After two unsuccessful attempts to air-start the engine, the pilot diverted to a remote gravel airstrip at Glacier Point. The witness stated the pilot intended to land at Glacier Point and use a battery booster located in the baggage compartment to start the engine. As the airplane approached the airstrip, the pilot made a low-level pass to check the conditions at the airstrip. He concluded by stating this was his last memories of the flight.
Initial examination of the airplane by the NTSB-IIC and Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed impact damage consistent with a right wing-down, nose-down airplane attitude during ground impact. The airplane remained intact and all flight control surfaces were accounted for and cable control continuity was attained. The landing gear was in the down position and the landing gear position switch was also in the down position. The landing disengage motor-raise motor release arm was found in the disengaged position. The emergency landing gear extension handle was removed from its stowed position and installed in a socket on the emergency disengage control. The flaps were in the up position and the flap lever was in the down position. Both engines separated from their respective wing mounts and remained partially attached to the wings by control cables and tubing. The left propeller blades revealed gouging, twisting and material loss of one blade. The right propeller was found in the feathered position with one blade bent rearward; the opposing blade that was unremarkable. The elevator trim actuator was found in the full nose-down position, and the rudder trim indicator was in the nose left position.
The wreckage was recovered for further examination.
HAINES — As an incoming tide swamped the wreckage of a private plane that crashed south of Haines Saturday, a family, a tour guide and a visitor from Yakutat used a backhoe and sections of rope to keep the lone survivor, trapped inside, above water.
Juneau resident Chan Valentine, 31, was injured and pinned in the plane's back seat by the flattened seat of pilot David Kunat. He and another passenger were in the plane's front seats, unresponsive.
The Juneau Empire reported the second victim of the crash was Stanley Su Quoc Nguyen, 29, of California. The Empire also reported pilot Kunat's age as 29.
"The water would be up at (Valentine's) chest and we could pull it just enough for the water to come down to his waist. We did that four or five times," said Steve Dice, a state equipment operator from Yakutat. "We just wanted to save that guy's life and get him out of there. The worst thing would be watching that guy drown."
The twin-engine Piper Comanche crashed on the beach at Glacier Point, a roadless moraine and tour excursion site about 11 miles southwest of Haines.
Dice was visiting Haines residents Tom and Patricia Faverty and son Kirby, 14, at the family's cabin at David's Cove, 3 miles across Chilkat Inlet from Glacier Point, when the crash occurred a few minutes after 11 a.m. Dice had heard the plane approaching from the south and was watching it through binoculars.
It seemed to be flying at tree level and had just passed over a gravel airstrip at the point, Dice said.
"It did a low-elevation, 90-degree turn back toward the water, stalled, and went straight in. It was ugly."
Patricia Faverty said that even from across the inlet, the crash was dramatic.
"You could see the wing fly off with your naked eye. It was like a movie. It's still going over and over in our heads."
Outside cellphone range, the Favertys and Dice crossed the inlet in a skiff, arriving to find the plane's wreckage upright on the beach, 10-15 feet above the waterline. When they looked inside the plane, they were surprised to see movement.
Valentine was conscious and could say his name and birthday, but the impact of the crash left him effectively trapped him in a steel cube, Tom Faverty said.
"There was no door. The plane was all around him," Faverty said. "Also, he was all broken up. You're not supposed to move those guys. … Worst-case scenario, we could have tried to take (the plane) apart with the backhoe, or gone looking for a hacksaw. Plus, we didn't have any time."
The Favertys reassured Valentine and sent son Kirby, a high school track and cross-country runner, to get help at the camp of a summer tour operation about a mile away.
"Then the tide started coming in and it got crazy," said Patricia Faverty, who by then had cellphone service and made phone contact with town dispatchers. "I was screaming bloody hell on the phone."
Kirby Faverty located Wiley Betz, a guide at the tourist camp who responded on a four-wheeler, and brought word of a backhoe back at the camp. By the time Dice was able to retrieve the backhoe, the wreckage was already in the water.
"We knew we didn't have much time, but I didn't know we had that little time," Dice said.
Tying together some rope from the skiff, Dice and Tom Faverty attached the backhoe's bucket to the plane's landing gear and started pulling – twice breaking the line. After guide Betz located a chain, Faverty and Dice were able to keep enough pressure on the line to keep the plane afloat.
As the tide floated the wreckage, they were able to pull it toward shore 5 to 10 feet at a time – an estimated 30 feet total – keeping Valentine's head above water until Haines paramedics Al Giddings and Tim Holm arrived aboard a Temsco helicopter from Skagway.
Working in waist-deep water with tin snips, Giddings was able to cut a hole in the top of the plane to extract Valentine, Faverty said.
"The responders were very professional," Faverty said. "They had all the equipment they needed. Al was in charge and knew just what to do. He was amazing."
Original article can be found here: https://www.adn.com
David Kunat, 29, died when his Piper PA-30 Twin Cherokee crashed on takeoff about 11 a.m. Saturday at the unpaved Glacier Point airstrip about 10 miles south of Haines, Alaska State Troopers said. Also killed was California resident Stanley Su Quoc Nguyen, 29. Chan Valentine, 31, was injured in the crash.
“God broke the mold when he made that man,” said one of Kunat’s friends about him.
Kunat was one of four children raised by Janusz “Jan” and Elzbieta “Ela” Kunat in Gustavus.
Janusz and Elzbieta immigrated to the United States from Poland in the 1980s, and David spoke Polish and English fluently, even living in Poland for a time.
Kunat’s parents did not return a phone call to their Gustavus home, and many of Kunat’s friends declined to speak on the record before his family had a chance to talk.
In an advertisement on a popular couchsurfing website, David shared his background as a pilot and traveler, writing that he once sailed from Hawaii to Alaska and enjoyed skydiving and scuba diving.
Lucas Baranovic, one of Kunat’s close friends, wrote in an email to the Empire: “David was always very outgoing and adventurous; the amount of stories that I could tell would fill up a book. David had a very carpe diem personality. Whenever he got an idea, he would call you up and say, ‘Let’s go have a great adventure!’ … David was a true friend, who was supportive and cared for others in all their endeavors and pursuits. His loss leaves a huge hole in the lives of all of the people who were so lucky to call him a friend. He lived more in his short lifetime than most of us will live in all of our time here.”
While he enjoyed his adventures, Kunat had a business-minded side as well. After graduating from Gustavus School in 2005, he became a member of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Rural Alaska Honors Institute.
According to state records, he founded two businesses and worked in construction, but his main line of work was as a systems administrator and director for Byte Networking in Juneau.
That company provides computer and Internet support in Southeast, and Kunat was involved with a plan to bring high-speed broadband to Gustavus and Glacier Bay National Park.
A Byte Networking employee who answered the company’s phones on Monday said news of Kunat’s death “still hasn’t quite hit us. We’re still kind of in that shock phase.”
He added that the company will continue to operate.
In January, Kunat had become engaged to Staci Climie, a state employee in Juneau.
Climie didn’t respond to the Empire’s contact requests, but on Facebook said the couple hadn’t shared their engagement with many people yet.
“I love David so much. I cannot believe this is real, I’m wishing this is just a terrible nightmare. I will miss him so much,” she wrote in a public comment.
Chan Valentine, who survived the crash, was Kunat’s coworker at Byte Networking. After being medevaced to Bartlett Regional Hospital, he was flown to Seattle for additional treatment.
His girlfriend, Amy George, flew to Seattle to be with him. She said he has undergone hip surgery and will undergo wrist surgery to repair broken bones, adding that he is in good spirits.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have flown to Southeast as they investigate the accident.
According to accounts given to Alaska State Troopers, Kunat’s plane was taking off from the Glacier Point airstrip, traveling south to north, when it made a hard right turn to the east, toward Lynn Canal, when it appeared to stall and crash.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers and Temsco Helicopters responded to the accident, as did good Samaritans.
The unpaved Glacier Point airstrip is small enough that it doesn’t show up on the FAA’s aeronautical charts, but it is a popular destination for tourists and visitors to Haines and Skagway.
Weather does not appear to be a factor in the accident. At the Haines airport, 10 miles north, the weather was clear and 52 degrees, with a southeast wind of 8 mph.
So far this year, six people have died in Alaska plane crashes, according to NTSB records and media reports.
Original article can be found here: http://juneauempire.com
A witness observed the Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche take off from an air strip on Glacier Point and "make a hard right turn to the east before stalling and colliding with the ground," said an Alaska State Trooper dispatch posted online Saturday night.
Clint Johnson, NTSB's Alaska chief said the plane crashed into tidal flats, citing preliminary information.
"We had two deceased at the scene," Johnson said Saturday afternoon.
Troopers identified the pilot killed as 29-year-old David Kunat of Juneau. Troopers said the passenger killed was an adult man from California, but they did not provide his name.
Johnson said the second passenger was in critical condition. Troopers identified that passenger as 31-year-old Chan Valentine of Juneau. Troopers said Valentine was taken to Juneau's Bartlett Regional Hospital.
Haines is about 80 air miles northwest of Juneau.
The cause of the crash was not known Saturday evening, Johnson said.
Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said in an email that the plane crashed "under unknown circumstances on a beach."
Johnson said an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board will arrive in Haines by Sunday to continue searching for clues in the crash.
Original article can be found here: https://www.adn.com
Stanley Su Quoc Nguyen
David Kunat
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