onewithwings
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Retired Anchorage Base Chief Pilot Terry Smith died yesterday when the private plane he was flying crashed near Dillingham. The accident also killed former Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska and three other individuals, but there were four survivors, including former NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. They were en route to a fishing getaway at a remote lodge owned by an Alaska-based communications company.</SPAN>
“Terry was one of the finest pilots and human beings I have ever known. He was the heart and soul of Alaska Airlines in Anchorage for many years,” said Bill MacKay, senior vice president – Alaska. “His passing is a great loss to our company and the people of Alaska.”
National Transportation Safety Board representatives from Anchorage and Washington, D.C., are heading to Dillingham to investigate the crash.
“I’ve known Terry since I was working as a dock boy (at the floatplane base) in Anchorage,” said Captain Sean Ellis, Anchorage base chief pilot. “He flew jets and floatplanes and had a Corvette. We thought he was the coolest guy in the world.”
Kevin Finan, retired executive vice president of operations, described Terry as “the embodiment of everything good about Alaska Airlines and one of the most accomplished pilots I have ever known. He was at one with every aircraft he flew, and a tireless advocate of aviation in Alaska. Terry understood how important Alaska Airlines’ service was to small communities like Nome and Kotzebue, and he was firmly committed to serving them safely and reliably. He was a terrific guy.”
The other victims aboard the flight besides Terry, 62,and Stevens, 86, were Dana and Corey Tindall and William Phillips. Four other passengers survived with injuries: Sean and Kevin O’Keefe, Jim Morhard and Willy Phillips.
Captain Terry Smith leaves behind his wife, Terri, children Melanie Malone, Brian, Brittni and Megan Smith, and several grandchildren.
Barely two weeks ago, his son-in-law, Aaron Malone, died aboard an Air Force C-17 that went down near Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage. Aaron was a first officer with Alaska Airlines on military leave.
Terry’s roots run deep in Alaska aviation. His dad, a DC-3 pilot, took his son aloft for the first time when he was only 12 days old. Several years later, young Terry learned to fly the family’s beloved Grumman Widgeon.
After graduating high school in Anchorage, Terry decided to seek his fortune in the Lower 48, attending the aviation technology program at Northrop University in Inglewood, Calif. He also instructed and towed gliders at the El Mirage glider port to earn his keep and build flying time.
Terry returned to Alaska and never strayed far from the sound of an aircraft engine. He flew for Red Dodge Aviation, Munz Northern Airlines, Windship Air Service and Era, among others, before Alaska Airlines hired him in 1979.
In 1988, Terry was chosen to pilot the historic Friendship Flight, a mission of goodwill across the Bering Sea from Nome to the Russian settlement of Provideniya. It opened a door that had been shut for decades, enabling families to re-establish ties severed by the Cold War. The flight also laid the groundwork for Alaska to become the first U.S. air carrier to offer regularly scheduled service to the Russian Far East in 1991.
The following year, Terry piloted another news-making flight from Anchorage (via Nome) to Anadyr. Named the “Bering Bridge Expedition,” this flight carried U.S. explorers who were to join a group of Russians on an expedition across the frozen Bering Sea.
In 2006, the aircraft that flew both missions — a 737-200 tail number N740AS — was named to recognize Terry and donated to the Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage.
“This is a great honor,” Terry said during a dedication ceremony attended by hundreds of Alaska Airlines employees. “That airplane and I have been together for over 25 years and we’ve done some interesting things.”
In addition to the Russia flights, Terry was responsible for developing the flight procedures and training programs that would extend Alaska Airlines’ reach to Dutch Harbor and other remote airports in Alaska. For that work, and for his devotion to serving the people of his state and his co-workers, in 2001 Terry received the highest honor bestowed on an Alaska Airlines employee: Customer Service Legend.
“Terry was one of the finest pilots and human beings I have ever known. He was the heart and soul of Alaska Airlines in Anchorage for many years,” said Bill MacKay, senior vice president – Alaska. “His passing is a great loss to our company and the people of Alaska.”
National Transportation Safety Board representatives from Anchorage and Washington, D.C., are heading to Dillingham to investigate the crash.
“I’ve known Terry since I was working as a dock boy (at the floatplane base) in Anchorage,” said Captain Sean Ellis, Anchorage base chief pilot. “He flew jets and floatplanes and had a Corvette. We thought he was the coolest guy in the world.”
Kevin Finan, retired executive vice president of operations, described Terry as “the embodiment of everything good about Alaska Airlines and one of the most accomplished pilots I have ever known. He was at one with every aircraft he flew, and a tireless advocate of aviation in Alaska. Terry understood how important Alaska Airlines’ service was to small communities like Nome and Kotzebue, and he was firmly committed to serving them safely and reliably. He was a terrific guy.”
The other victims aboard the flight besides Terry, 62,and Stevens, 86, were Dana and Corey Tindall and William Phillips. Four other passengers survived with injuries: Sean and Kevin O’Keefe, Jim Morhard and Willy Phillips.
Captain Terry Smith leaves behind his wife, Terri, children Melanie Malone, Brian, Brittni and Megan Smith, and several grandchildren.
Barely two weeks ago, his son-in-law, Aaron Malone, died aboard an Air Force C-17 that went down near Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage. Aaron was a first officer with Alaska Airlines on military leave.
Terry’s roots run deep in Alaska aviation. His dad, a DC-3 pilot, took his son aloft for the first time when he was only 12 days old. Several years later, young Terry learned to fly the family’s beloved Grumman Widgeon.
After graduating high school in Anchorage, Terry decided to seek his fortune in the Lower 48, attending the aviation technology program at Northrop University in Inglewood, Calif. He also instructed and towed gliders at the El Mirage glider port to earn his keep and build flying time.
Terry returned to Alaska and never strayed far from the sound of an aircraft engine. He flew for Red Dodge Aviation, Munz Northern Airlines, Windship Air Service and Era, among others, before Alaska Airlines hired him in 1979.
In 1988, Terry was chosen to pilot the historic Friendship Flight, a mission of goodwill across the Bering Sea from Nome to the Russian settlement of Provideniya. It opened a door that had been shut for decades, enabling families to re-establish ties severed by the Cold War. The flight also laid the groundwork for Alaska to become the first U.S. air carrier to offer regularly scheduled service to the Russian Far East in 1991.
The following year, Terry piloted another news-making flight from Anchorage (via Nome) to Anadyr. Named the “Bering Bridge Expedition,” this flight carried U.S. explorers who were to join a group of Russians on an expedition across the frozen Bering Sea.
In 2006, the aircraft that flew both missions — a 737-200 tail number N740AS — was named to recognize Terry and donated to the Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage.
“This is a great honor,” Terry said during a dedication ceremony attended by hundreds of Alaska Airlines employees. “That airplane and I have been together for over 25 years and we’ve done some interesting things.”
In addition to the Russia flights, Terry was responsible for developing the flight procedures and training programs that would extend Alaska Airlines’ reach to Dutch Harbor and other remote airports in Alaska. For that work, and for his devotion to serving the people of his state and his co-workers, in 2001 Terry received the highest honor bestowed on an Alaska Airlines employee: Customer Service Legend.
