This Sunday the Smithsonian Channel will premier a brand new docu-series about the tough investigations into Alaskan plane crashes with one episode featuring last year’s local fatal crash.
Johnson: “It is definitely not another reality-based TV show for Alaska, no-ifs, no-ands, no-buts.”
That was Alaska Regional Chief Clint Johnson with the National Transportation Safety Board in Anchorage who will be featured on the show along with four of his investigators.
He says Alaska’s NTSB is often approached by production companies about doing television shows but normally he turns them down. This project was acceptedbecause of the Smithsonian Channel’s focus on safety in the series.
Johnson: “To give the flying public and the aviation community a little bit of insight of how we do our job, what we do and some of the challengers that each of the investigators have on a daily basis. Keep in mind that regional investigators do this 365 a year, 24 hours a day, so this will give the general public a rare glimpse of exactly how we conduct our investigations and ultimately what we’re trying to do is keep these accidents from happening again.”
The docu-series will air beginning March 13 through April 17. On March 27 the episode will feature the investigation about last August’s fatal Kasilof plane crash.
Johnson: “The [film] crew went along with Shaun Williams, who was the investigator in charge on that one, and again just highlighting some of the challenges he has on scene. It also actually follows him through most of the investigation, it doesn’t conclude the investigation by any means. But there was a reported loss of engine power from the witnesses that saw this airplane. The episode actually takes them down to Mobile, Alabama where they did a very extensive process on that engine.”
You can check your local listings for the premier time this Sunday, March 13, on the Smithsonian Channel.