Two professional well-regarded pilots — one with his three children on board — were at the controls on Sunday when their two airplanes collided in midair, about 20 miles northeast of Anchorage, Alaska. All five people were killed. David Beauregard, 45, an Alaska Airlines pilot, was flying a Cessna 170B with his three children, Ryan, 16; Conner, 13; and Remi, 9. They had just lifted off from Birchwood Airport at about noontime in clear weather, headed for Talkeetna. William Smoke, 55, a pilot for the Fish and Wildlife Service, was flying a 172. He had apparently just taken off from the same field but was returning for a landing when the two aircraft collided. “According to flight investigators, Smoke in the 172 probably saw the 170 and attempted to gain altitude to avoid the other plane but somehow he ended up crashing into the other plane’s belly,” a local CBS news affiliate reported. Both aircraft were less than 1,000 feet above the ground. The field is uncontrolled and neither airplane transmitted any distress calls. Two eyewitnesses at the airport did see the entire event, an NTSB spokesman told The Associated Press.
Five Dead In Alaska Midair
Key Takeaways:
- A mid-air collision near Anchorage, Alaska, resulted in the deaths of five people: an Alaska Airlines pilot and his three children, and a Fish and Wildlife Service pilot.
- The two professional pilots were flying Cessna aircraft that had recently taken off from or were returning to the uncontrolled Birchwood Airport in clear weather.
- Both planes were under 1,000 feet when the collision occurred, with investigators suggesting one pilot's attempted evasive maneuver inadvertently led to the crash.
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