One Aircraft Made Successful Off-Airport Landing, Other Impacted Terrain And Caught Fire

Local and federal officials are investigating another mid-air collision in Alaska, and one pilot is feared to have been fatally injured in the accident.

The two aircraft were operating from different villages in Southwest Alaska when they collided near Nightmute, AK on Saturday. The NTSB and Alaska State Troopers say one of the airplanes involved made a successful off-airport landing on the tundra, but the other impacted terrain and caught fire.

NTSB Board Investigator Clint Johnson told the Anchorage Daily News that the two pilots were in a relationship. They flew for different operations, and had met up in the air as they flew to Bethel, AK. They were reportedly communicating by radio on a pre-arranged frequency when the accident occurred.

The pilot of the Cessna 208 Caravan which went down ... Scott Veal of Kenai, AK ... has not been located. The Anchorage Daily News reports that no body was recovered from the wreckage, which was strewn over half a mile. But an Alaska State Patrol spokeswoman said "there were no signs of life" in the debris field. The other pilot, Kirsten Sprague, landed the Cessna 207 she was flying safely but with a badly damaged wing. She did not appear to be injured, but was transported to a nearby hospital as a precaution.

Sprague told Johnson the two were dating, and that Veal was going through a divorce.

The Cessna 207 flown by Sprague was operated by Ryan Air, a rural freight carrier. The Caravan belonged to Grant Aviation. Sprague told the investigators that she had told Veal on the radio that she could not see him just before the accident occurred.

The pilots were the only ones on board either airplane. The National Weather Service reports that the weather at the time of the accident was a 1,000 foot celing with no precipitation of fog in the area.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov