Weather was a factor in the April 8 plane crash on Admiralty Island. The crash killed the pilot and two passengers and badly injured another person on board.
The Sunrise Aviation flight began in Wrangell and was headed to Angoon, about 110 miles to the northwest.
A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report said pilot David Galla had changed course due to low clouds and reduced visibility.
Shaun Williams is a safety board investigator.
“From what we’ve been told when we spoke with the director of operations at Sunrise, he did turn around because he could not get through Pybus Bay. So now we just want to verify everything and verify how the weather was at the time,” Williams said.
Pybus Bay is on the south end of Admiralty Island, about four-fifths of the way from Wrangell to Angoon.
Williams said information from the plane’s GPS unit and a weather study could provide more details of the conditions and route change.
Pieces of the Cessna 206 were helicoptered to Juneau for examination. Williams said no obvious problems were found.
“The engine and propeller have both been retained for shipment down to Mobile, Alabama, for further examination and testing at a later date,” Williams said.
In addition to the pilot, the crash killed Greg Scheff and Thomas Siekawitch of Wrangell.
The injured passenger, Morgan Enright of Ketchikan, remains at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
A CaringBridge website post from her mother Friday said Enright is improving. She is breathing on her own and recognizing family members.
Medical center staff on Friday said her status had been upgraded from critical to serious. She remains in the intensive care unit.
