After a Yute Commuter Service (YCS) plane caught fire while traveling between Bethel and Kwethluk in November 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration said that over 200 planes in the Y-K Delta could have the same wiring problem that caused the fire. Amongst the three largest airlines that travel to Y-K Delta villages, only YCS reported having other planes with the same issue, but YCS said that the problem was not the company’s fault.
Investigators found that incorrectly installed wiring caused the YCS plane fire in November. Electrical wires in the plane were touching the fuel line, a clear safety hazard. Investigators found that the wires were installed about 20 years ago as part of the Capstone Project, a federally funded safety program. Over 200 planes in the Y-K Delta were part of the program. The Federal Aviation Administration reached out to airlines in the region warning them to inspect their planes.
Out of nine Cessna 207s that YCS operates, the company said that five had the same issue with incorrectly installed wires. Grant Aviation and Ryan Air, the other main commercial airlines in the Y-K Delta, said that they inspected their planes immediately after the FAA notified them. They both said that they found that none of their planes were affected by the faulty wiring installation issue. Grant operates nine Cessna 207s and Ryan Air operates 11.
YCS Director of Operations Terry Cratty said that YCS does not bear any responsibility for the faulty wiring installations. He said that the company hired federally approved third party vendors for the installation.
YCS, Grant Aviation, and Ryan Air only account for around 30 of the over 200 planes that the FAA said could be affected by the wiring issue. Aircrafts often change hands. The FAA said that it was working to identify all owners of potentially affected aircraft.
