Kodiak crash on takeoff in Papua. Two dead.

[Just another canuck]

I met the pilot a number of years ago now and he was a very nice fellow. We did our maintenance on the Caravans and Porters in his hangar just off Doyo, which I believe was only about 12 or 1300 feet long. He spent the better part of his career in Papua serving the mountain villages. I didn't know he had a Kodiak. Most of his work had been done with the Porter when I was there. It's certainly a sad day in Sentani, Papua.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... 2518,d.aWc

A youtube video from the past:

http://www.youtube.com/attribution_link ... re%3Dshare

Not sure but this may be the first accident for the Kodiak.

[Changes in Latitudes]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your colleague. That's a hell of a career to be serving in Papua; it certainly takes a special person.

I think there have been a few Kodiak losses already, at least two or three just from the top of my head. I know the US Forest Service lost one a while back, but the pilot survived. I've always wondered what that bird was like to fly.

[cienki]

Sorry to hear about your loss JAC.

[Just another canuck]

It certainly is a hell of a career to serve in Papua. It's a very unforgiving environment. I knew another missionary pilot when I was there who crashed his Porter into the side of a hill. He had about 12 years and over 10,000 hours in Papua as well. The mountains are littered with airplanes that have crashed (mostly CFIT) and have never bothered to be recovered, usually because it's such a difficult task and hardly worth the effort.

As far as the Kodiak goes, I would really like to fly one was well. I'm sure I never will but I can still wonder.

[andy_mtl]

I did my training this week on a kodiak.
Impressive machine yet I don't understand why the controls are so stiff.
Also most of them have 4 blades props, I don't know why the one in the video has a 3 blades.
It stays very cold on the start compared to a caravan, and the two batteries really makes for it to be very reliable.
I got it airborne in aprox 300 feet with a trainer walking me thru the short take off procedure( after 1 h flight I did) , I m sure a more experienced pilot on it can take 50-75 feet off that.
Will be able to provide more infos on it as the summer season goes by.

Very sad to hear the loss, condolences to the families.

Andy

[pdw]

...I got it airborne in aprox 300 feet with a trainer walking me thru the short take off procedure( after 1 h flight I did) , I m sure a more experienced pilot on it can take 50-75 feet off that.

Impressive how excess power can demonstrate performance sometimes. When the Kodiak came out I can vaguely remember there were some comparisons (similarities ?) to the Caravan. This one had a pod too, as seen in the accident photos and the youtube Video.

Yet here the whole runway is apparently used up; it's hard to find a station showing any headwind (maybe some 90deg right crosswind / wunderground), mostly calm, and looks like a dirt runway. The aircraft is said to have clipped/struck the parallel bridge just beyond / to the left of the WNW departure-end with its left wingtip first (local news article/ map).

No aircraft is the same climber/lifter though when packed to max and near-30deg / humid. Taking off with just my instructor and say ten/twenty knots on the nose could make a lift impression with many an empty / minimum-fueled airframe; but then on another day, take away all that enhanced performance of being light etc, ie load it up and take away the excess power ie soft runway etc ...

The story on youtube is also a tribute. Condolensces to the families/friends and co-workers.

[Just another canuck]

Doyo is a private strip which AMA operated out of and was grass when I was there. Could have changed since. Any associated weather can be found through Sentani, only a few miles away. I was told by a friend there were engine difficulties on takeoff. And just as a note. The place he was going, Ninia, was a strip at about 5000 feet, only 1500 feet long, with a slope of 19%. Also had a rock face at the landing end so you better be stopped. There may be a YouTube video out there. And there certainly is for Doyo.

[PilotDAR]

Also had a rock face at the landing end so you better be stopped.

...Going to be stopped!

I applaud the skill of pilots who regularly operate out of strips which most of us would be afraid to fly over.

[swordfish]

I used to fly in the Eastern half of the island - Papua New Guinea - much the same type of terrain as the Western half. 1/3 of the strips are above 5000 elevation, half of those are one-way, short length, uphill, and generally not mowed for the past 2 weeks. There are definitely a few tricks to flying at high density altitudes, up valleys with no turn around, that all look the same when you're down in them, turns onto final in less than a mile, and weird illusions from the uphill aspect of the strip. There is rarely any wind to contend with except early morning when there may be light winds coming down the valley, but usually not much to worry about.

In non-turbocharged plans (a 185 with a pod for cargo below) you're always scratching to get airborne and nose over to build up speed after takeoff. And pity help you if you've been delayed till lunch time, when everything starts to clag in all around you, and you have to descend just to get out of the valley. Land of no-return sometimes.

Oh yes...definitely some "pucker-up" moments when you're not very experienced....

[Illya Kuryakin]

An area of the world I've always wanted to visit. Prolly never will.
Thoughts are with all involved.
Illya