Fatal Events Since 1970 for
Alaska and Horizon Air
The following events are those involving at least one passenger death where the aircraft flight had a direct or indirect role. Excluded would be events where the only passengers killed were stowaways, hijackers, or saboteurs.
- 4 September 1971; Alaska Airlines 727-100; near Juneau, AK: The aircraft was inbound for landing when it flew into the slopes of a mountain about 28 miles (30 km) west of the airfield. The crew had received misleading navigational information for reasons that were not determined. All seven crew members and 104 passengers were killed.
- 5 April 1976; Alaska Airlines 727; Ketchikan, AK: The aircraft overran the runway after landing. One of the 50 passengers was killed.
15 April 1988; Horizon Air Dash 8; Seattle, WA: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Seattle, WA to Spokane, WA. The crew executed an air turn back after the right engine lost power during climbout. The crew noticed a right engine fire after lowering the landing gear. Fire damage to the hydraulic system led to a loss of control of the aircraft after landing. The aircraft departed the runway and struck ground equipment and two jetways. The aircraft was subsequently destroyed by fire. None of the three crew members and 37 passengers were killed, but four passengers were seriously injured.
The NTSB concluded that the fuel leak that led to the subsequent fire in the right engine nacelle was due to improper installation of the high pressure fuel filter cover, a problem that occurred during an engine overhaul and that was not discovered by the airline when the engine was installed.
Other Bombardier Dash 8 Events - 31 January 2000; Alaska Airlines MD83; near Pt. Mugu, CA: The aircraft was on a flight from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of the LAX airport. Reportedly, the aircraft was diverting to Los Angeles and started a rapid descent from about 17,000 feet. All 83 passengers and five crew members were killed.
Links to more details and resources
NTSB Accident Summary
NTSB Accident Report
Additional NTSB Background Information
Airline Fleet
Alaska Airlines
Horizon Air
http://airsafe.com/events/airlines/alaska.htm -- 21 October 2007
