Crashed plane’s second landing try harder

JUNEAU, Alaska — The flight crew of a plane that crashed in a remote Alaska community last month, fatally injuring a man, abandoned an initial landing attempt and faced stronger winds on their second try before the plane went off the runway, according to a federal report released Friday.

The investigative update from the National Transportation Safety Board said the captain indicated he had accumulated about 20,000 total flight hours, 101 of which were in the Saab 2000, the type of plane involved in the October crash in the remote Aleutian Islands fishing community of Unalaska. The first officer indicated he had 1,446 total flight hours, 147 hours of which were in the Saab 2000.

There were 42 people on board. One person died, and others were injured. The report states that the plane damage included a hole in the main body. A propeller blade was found inside.

The plane was operated by Peninsula Airways, or PenAir, which is owned by RavnAir Group. In a statement, RavnAir Group said PenAir continues to cooperate with the NTSB and, as a party to the investigation, cannot comment on facts determined by the NTSB so far.

Meanwhile, RavnAir Alaska is serving Unalaska with DHC-8 aircraft on the same schedule PenAir ran and is operating charter flights as needed.

The preliminary report stated that the flight crew abandoned an initial attempt to land because they weren’t stabilized.

The plane hit a fence and a rock and crossed a ditch and roadway.

“The flight crew reported that they attempted to steer the airplane to the right at the end of the runway to avoid going into the water,” the report states.