Pilot Killed in Approach in 'Quarter-Mile' Visibility
'God damn it... we're gonna crash' were the last words PDX
controllers heard from N621ER. The aircraft was apparently in
the process of making another missed approach in poor visibility to
Rwy 10R while pursuing the ILS at 1615 UTC (O815 Local Time) when
the aircraft went down.
PDX controllers informed N621ER that RVR was "700, 800 midfield,
800 rollout" as it was executing its second known attempt to land.
A number of commercial carriers had landed just prior to the
Columbia 400 (file photo, below), reportedly all Horizon Airlines
aircraft.
Weather reports for the time of the accident indicate the
following: KPDX 161553Z 24003KT 1/8SM R10R/0600V0700FT FG BKN001
OVC009 01/01 A3035.
The final NWS crash notification report claims that, "PILOT
WAS EXECUTING AN ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 10R...BUT CRASHED 1/4SM
SOUTHEAST OF THE APPROACH END OF RWY 10R AND SLIGHTLY WEST OF THE
APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 3. KPDX OPERATIONS REPORTED THAT AIRCRAFT
CLIPPED AN AIRPORT PERIMETER FENCE... THEN CRASHED. AIRCRAFT CAUGHT
FIRE SOON AFTER CRASHING. SPOKESPERSON FOR KPDX REPORTED 3 REGULAR
ARRIVALS AND 5 DEPARTURES WERE AFFECTED. KPDX WAS CLOSED FROM 0910
TO 0930 PST AS EMERGENCY CREWS ATTENDED THE CRASH SCENE. AIRCRAFT
DEPARTED KLAMATH FALLS AROUND 0640 AM PST. ABOARD: 1 PERSON ON
BOARD. FATALITIES... 1."
Low visibility was cited as a possible factor in the fatal
Columbia 400 accident that took the life of the pilot, Oregon
doctor Richard Otoski, a Klamath Falls (OR) dermatologist. The
accident took place just short of a runway at Portland (OR)
International Airport. Otoski was the only person on board the
aircraft, manufactured by the former Lancair Company, in 2005.
The aircraft departed Klamath Falls, OR, at 0645 Local Time,
Saturday, and proceeded to PDX at 14,000 feet. A meteorologist with
the National Weather Service, Dan Keirns, was reported to have
confirmed that visibility at the airport (at the time of the
accident) was approximately 'a quarter-mile or less' in fog. Other
reports quote visibilities of as little as one-eighth of a mile.
The tragic accident closed the airport for the better part of 20
minutes, reportedly delaying three arriving flights and five
departures.
E-I-C Note: Folks... I believe that all flyers
are family, and yes -- that means all of you. So... these
accidents HURT. I've heard the last comm that came from N621ER, and
I have to tell you that no matter how long I work in this business,
that such events (and the recordings that occasionally result)
still shake me to the core. HARD IFR is nothing to sneeze at and
requires competency, care and thorough preparation. PLEASE be
careful out there and allow the ANN staff the coveted chance to
forget how to write up accident reports... -- Jim Campbell, ANN
E-I-C.
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