U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has described the rate of aircraft accidents in Alaska as “unacceptable,” pledging federal action to improve safety in the state’s airspace.
“I think it’s so important to recognize that, again, the rates of aviation crashes and aviation fatalities in Alaska are unacceptable,” Duffy said during a Wednesday press conference. “For too long, the Lower 48, and specifically the swamp in Washington, D.C., hasn’t heard the plea from Alaska for more help. We need better technology. We need some investments in a state where 82 percent of our communities can’t be reached by road.”
Duffy emphasized that aviation is the only practical transportation option for most of Alaska’s remote communities.
“If we’re going to bring people and supplies and services into our communities, we use aviation and we need it to be safer,” he said. “And so that message has been heard loud and clear.”
The secretary also assured Alaskans that infrastructure upgrades are forthcoming.
“We see you. We hear you,” Duffy told attendees. “We are going to work with you to make sure you get the upgrades that are necessary to radically improve the safety in aviation in Alaska.”
His comments follow the high-profile February 6 crash of Bering Air Flight 445, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX operating from Unalakleet to Nome, which killed all 10 people on board. Federal officials have said they will coordinate with Alaska’s congressional delegation and other agencies to address safety improvements across the state’s vast aviation system.
Higher Accident Rate
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), between 2008 and 2017, Alaska’s total aircraft accident rate was about 2.35 times higher than the rest of the United States, with its fatal accident rate 1.34 times higher. Since 2016, the state has accounted for 42 percent of U.S. deaths from small commercial aircraft crashes, up from 26 percent in the early 2000s.
In 2019, Alaska recorded 16 commercial aviation accidents that resulted in 16 fatalities, nearly double the decade average, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Part 135 operations, which include air taxis and commuter flights, were involved in six fatal accidents that year, compared to an annual average of 3.7 during the 2010s.
FAA data cited by the Juneau Empire show that in fiscal year 2018 (October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018) there were 95 reported aviation accidents in Alaska, up from 87 the year before, with fatal or serious‐injury accidents increasing from 15 to 17.
