Dot tries to shift Airrepfern after a fatal crash

Nankskalek, Alaska (Ktuu) – After the fatal aircraft crash in Näranzale, who claimed two lives, questions have arisen about the security of the runway in the off -road community.

“[That airstrip] is a little scary. From all the runways over there, it is my least landladed favorite, ”said Linda Rourke, who flew to the community several times with the pilot who was killed in the crash, and added that she“ completely confidant ”.

Alaska's Ministry of Transport has been trying to move the runway in Närsek for several years.

“There are a number of challenges because this current location in the topography is primary,” said Alaska Dot's spokesman, Justin Shelby. “It is between the mountains on the one hand and on the hill with the community on the other … it is also against the ocean there.”

If you are surrounded by water and steep mountain chains, there is little space in the coastal community for mistakes for pilots that land.

According to Shelby, the landscreen from Nankshahn is also not the FAA standards for width and length, and also not the runway in the nearby village of Port Graham.

The newly designed airport would be between the two municipalities with a longer, wider runway with additional lighting, navigation aids and a roller path that brings it to FAA standards. The point would also build a street between Nankskalek and Port Graham.

However, the point has no timeline if the new runway is built.

According to Shelby, the foundation for the project is “a few more years” and added that the crews are still at the beginning of their planning phase.

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