An Era Alaska flight from Anchorage to Homer plummeted about 5,000 feet after its pilot briefly lost control of the aircraft Wednesday, according to the airline and the National Transportation Safety Board.
NTSB spokesperson Clint Johnson says the de Havilland Canada DHC-8 or “Dash-8,” a popular commuter-airline twin-engine turboprop, was at an altitude of 12,000 feet when the aircraft abruptly dove to about 7,000 feet where the pilot was able to regain control. The crew declared an emergency and landed at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
Era Alaska spokesperson Steve Smith says a total of 14 people, including 11 passengers and a pilot, co-pilot and flight attendant, were on board Flight 874, which took off at 10:29 a.m. and returned to Anchorage at 10:59 a.m. According to Smith, the flight was not full and was slightly more than halfway to Homer -- usually a 40-minute trip -- at the time of the incident.
Johnson says the NTSB is examining the aircraft’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders. which were en route to Washington, D.C. according to the Associated Press. Era says it’s cooperating with the NTSB’s investigation.
Editor's note: The takeoff and landing times for the Era Alaska flight have been corrected by the airline.
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