The 2020 Alaska mid-air collision occurred at approximately 8:27 a.m. on July 31, 2020, when a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver collided with a

Piper PA-12 The Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser is an American three-seat, high wing, single-engine conventional landing gear-equipped light aircraft that was produced by Piper Aircraft between 1946-48. The PA-12 was an upgraded and redesignated Piper J-5.Plan ...

over the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...

, Alaska, approximately two miles northeast of

Soldotna Airport Soldotna Airport is a city-owned, public use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) southeast of the central business district of Soldotna, Alaska. Facilities The airport is located along the south bank of the Kenai River in the so ...

, near mile 91.5 of the

Sterling Highway The Sterling Highway is a state highway in the south-central region of the U.S. state of Alaska, leading from the Seward Highway at Tern Lake Junction, south of Anchorage, to Homer. Route description Construction of the highway began in 1 ...

. Most of the wreckage landed about from the road. Alaska State Representative

Gary Knopp Gary Allan Knopp (July 14, 1957 – July 31, 2020) was an American politician who served in the Alaska House of Representatives from the 30th district as a member of the Republican Party. Early life Knopp was born on July 14, 1957 in Whitefish, ...

was piloting one of the aircraft and was killed in the accident.

Victims

All six occupants of the Beaver were killed as a result of the collision. Five died instantly, while the sixth person succumbed to their injuries during transport to the local hospital.

, the pilot and sole occupant of the Piper, also died at the crash location. He was elected to the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people per ...

in 2016 and had been a long-time flight instructor and pilot. In his honor, Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered U.S. and Alaska state flags to be flown at half-staff for three days.

Aircraft and accident

The Beaver, manufactured in 1956 and operated by High Adventure Air Charter on lease from Soldotna Aircraft & Equipment Leasing LLC, was traveling from Longmere Lake to

Cook Inlet Cook Inlet ( tfn, Tikahtnu; Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. On its sou ...

for a fishing trip. The Piper, manufactured in 1946, was privately owned by Knopp and departed from Soldotna Airport en route to

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

. Knopp had been denied a medical certification in June 2012 for vision problems; after an appeal, the denial was upheld in July. In addition, although the Piper was registered to Knopp as N2587M, it had the

aircraft registration An aircraft registration is a code unique to a single aircraft, required by Chicago Convention, international convention to be marked on the exterior of every civil aircraft. The registration indicates the aircraft's country of registration, and ...

number N1904T painted on the plane's exterior. N1904T had been reserved by Knopp but was not valid, causing the aircraft to be misidentified initially as a

Piper Aztec The Piper PA-23, named Apache and later Aztec, is an American four- to six-seat twin-engined light aircraft aimed at the general-aviation market. The United States Navy and military forces in other countries also used it in small numbers. Origin ...

. National Weather Service (NWS) reports from the Soldotna airport for Friday morning showed clear visibility, with broken clouds at . The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash. A preliminary report was issued in August 2020. The two aircraft had taken off at the same time (8:24 a.m. ADT) from separate locations and collided three minutes later, at an altitude of approximately . A witness stated he saw the Piper, traveling north, strike the rear fuselage of the Beaver, traveling west; after the impact, he saw what he thought was the Beaver's left wing separate from the aircraft, which entered an uncontrolled spin before crashing to the ground. Paint transfer from the Piper was found on the rear fuselage of the Beaver.

References

External links

* * NTSB investigation number: ANC20LA074. Basic data can be retrieved by searching for the investigation number in th
CAROL QueryPDF download
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kenai Peninsula mid-air collision Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 2020 Accidents and incidents involving the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver 2020 in Alaska July 2020 events in the United States Aviation accidents and incidents in Alaska Mid-air collisions Mid-air collisions involving general aviation aircraft

Victims

Aircraft and accident

See also

References

External links