ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft B200 King Air N547LM Unalaska-Tom Madsen Airport, AK (DUT)
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Status:Information verified through authorities or other official sources.
Date:Thursday 16 January 2020
Time:08:06
Type:Silhouette image of generic BE20 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Beechcraft B200 King Air
Operator:LifeMed Alaska
Registration: N547LM
MSN: BB-1642
First flight: 1998
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:NW off Unalaska-Tom Madsen Airport, AK (DUT) (   United States of America)
Phase: Initial climb (ICL)
Nature:Ambulance
Departure airport:Unalaska-Tom Madsen Airport, AK (DUT/PADU), United States of America
Destination airport:Adak Airport, AK (ADK/PADK), United States of America
Narrative:
A Beechcraft B200 King Air, operated by LifeMed, impacted the waters of the Bering Sea after becoming airborne from runway 31 at Unalaska-Tom Madsen Airport (DUT/PADU), Alaska. The airplane ended up 400 or 500 yards offshore in the waters of Unalaska Bay near Hog Island and sank. The three occupants were rescued.

According to the pilot, after checking the weather on the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS), he completed the before takeoff check list, back taxied for a runway 31 departure and initiated the takeoff roll. He said he recalled the winds being reported as 100° at 9 knots. As the airplane accelerated down the runway, he said the airspeed was about 75 knots at midfield and increasing. When the airspeed reached about 90 knots, he applied back pressure to the control yoke to initiate the takeoff and noted a brief positive rate of climb, followed by a sinking sensation. The airspeed rapidly decayed, and the stall warning horn sounded. In an effort to correct for the decaying airspeed, he lowered the nose and immediately noticed the airplane's lights reflecting off the surface of the water. He pulled back on the airplane's control yoke and leveled the wings just before impacting the ocean waters.

A tailwind takeoff was performed since IFR takeoff minimums and (obstacle) departure procedures only allow for night departures off of runway 31.

Accident investigation:

Investigating agency: NTSB
Status: Investigation ongoing
Accident number: ANC20LA015
Download report: Preliminary report

Sources:
» adn.com
» kucb.org
» Flightaware


Photos

photo of Beechcraft-B200-King-Air-N547LM
accident date: 16-01-2020
type: Beechcraft B200 King Air
registration: N547LM
 

Video, social media

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Unalaska-Tom Madsen Airport, AK to Adak Airport, AK as the crow flies is 708 km (443 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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Beech King Air

  • 3550+ built
  • 247th loss
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 United States of America
  • 64th worst accident
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