Excellent commentary by Colleen Mondor in the ADN recently regarding the National Transportation Safety Bureau’s final report of the 2019 accident of a Saab 2000 aircraft at Dutch Harbor, operated by Ravn Airlines, using the name “PenAir.”
The report cited a faulty wiring mixup on the brake system. It was explained to me that the fault was that the wires were misconnected, with the right brake pedal connected to the left wheel, and the left pedal driving the right tires.
But both brake systems were fully functional, so in an emergency such as landing on a 4,000-foot runway with a 20-knot tailwind, both brakes would have been fully engaged, not changing the actual cause of the accident.
I was disappointed that they did not focus on the airline management changes from the real PenAir days, which Ms. Mondor cited. I founded the original PenAir in 1955, a kid just out of high school with a Piper Tri-Pacer.
One of our most senior Saab captains stayed with the Ravn company, and was appointed chief pilot. He resigned two months later, telling me that there was too much pressure from above to approve pilots for the Dutch Harbor run whom he did not feel were ready.
This is not a criticism of the pilots involved. They simply did not have enough exposure and experience with the new aircraft and operating conditions for that operation.
Back in the 1980s and ‘90s, both MarkAir and Alaska Airlines served Dutch Harbor with Boeing 737 jets. But they were the older Dash-200s, which were certified for the 4,000-foot runway. When Alaska had to upgrade to the newer Dash-400s and higher, none of them were certified to operate on that runway.
We moved into the Saab 340 aircraft in 1992. It is a 30-passenger, 300 mph aircraft at 20,000 feet. Then when the Saab 2000 came along, we recognized it as the best aircraft for our operations. It is a 50-passenger, 400 mph aircraft operating at 30,000 feet. But it took us 10 years to get it certified, being the first U.S. carrier to operate that type of aircraft. That is basically what caused our bankruptcy.
— Orin Seybert
Anchorage
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