Latest news with #Cessna206
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Iowa roads see decrease in fatal crashes at the start of ‘100 deadliest days of summer'
An Iowa State Patrol squad car parked at the State Capitol. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Memorial Day 2025 kicked off what the Iowa State Patrol calls the '100 deadliest days of summer,' a period of time marked by an increase in teen driver crashes and fatalities. This time of year, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, is when many younger drivers are hitting the roads for the first time and others may be indulging in the holiday season. Law enforcement agencies, including the Iowa State Patrol, increased their presence on the roadways over the holiday weekend and noticed a continued pattern of decreasing fatal crashes over the past three years. 'Our focus is to make the roadways a safe and enjoyable experience,' said Sgt. Alex Dinkla, public information officer for Iowa State Patrol. 'This is one of those periods where that extra enforcement, we know, did pay off.' The state patrol arrested 21 individuals for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and covered over 47 crashes across the state. The Iowa Department of Transportation reported two fatal accidents in the days leading up to Memorial Day. Buckle that seatbelt, put the phone down and always remember, if you're gonna go out and have some alcohol, to get that sober driver. – Sgt. Alex Dinkla, public information officer for Iowa State Patrol Many of the crashes occurred at intersections around the state. Dinkla noted that drivers often forget the blind spot on both sides of their car, between their windshield and door window. These blind spots can obscure entire vehicles from the driver's view. Dinkla recommends drivers check two or three times before crossing an intersection to ensure they spot any threats. In 2023, the DOT reported four fatal crashes in the days before the holiday, one of which was attributed to alcohol. In 2024, there were three fatal crashes. This year, the number dropped to two. Dinkla said that while the patrol doesn't 'want to call that a success because that's still two fatalities,' it's evident the extra presence and effort to educate the public is making a difference. Going forward, Dinkla said, the ISP plans to utilize their Air Wing Unit, a unit of five pilots and aircrafts primarily used for traffic enforcement, more during other holidays and times of peak travel. Founded in 1956, the unit currently consists of three Cessna 182 aircraft, one Cessna 206 and one SR-22 CIRUSS. Two of the aircraft have thermal imaging equipment to aid in missing-person cases, fugitive location and specialized surveillance. 'None of us know when we may or may not be involved in a fatal crash,' he said. 'Buckle that seatbelt, put the phone down and always remember, if you're gonna go out and have some alcohol, to get that sober driver.'
New York Times
26-04-2025
- New York Times
Beer Aboard a Flight to a Dry Alaska Town Costs a Pilot His $95,000 Plane
A six-pack of beer at the corner store will generally set you back $10 or $15, maybe a tad more. But even a small batch of the most artisanal locally brewed I.P.A. isn't $95,000. But that's how much a cargo of beer has cost Kenneth J. Jouppi, 82, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, who piloted charter flights in Alaska until around 2014. On April 18, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that he could be forced to forfeit his $95,000 plane as a penalty for trying to fly alcohol into a dry Alaskan community that does not allow for the importation, sale or possession of alcohol, according to court records. In April 2012, a state trooper stopped Mr. Jouppi before his plane took off from Fairbanks, Alaska, after the trooper said that he saw Mr. Jouppi 'opening and closing boxes' that contained beer, according to court records. The trooper said 'it would have been impossible' for Mr. Jouppi not to see at least one six-pack out of 72 beers that were on the plane. Mr. Jouppi denied knowing that the beer was on board. (Mr. Jouppi could not recall, and the court papers did not specify, the brand of beer.) Mr. Jouppi was taking a client 110 miles north to Beaver, Alaska, a community of about 80 people. The community, which was founded in 1907 amid discoveries of gold, has a small air strip and is most easily accessible by plane. After a jury found that Mr. Jouppi tried to illegally bring alcohol to Beaver, he was sentenced to three days in jail and he and his company were fined a total of $3,000. But the trial court declined to confiscate his plane, a Cessna 206 that fits six passengers and that was valued at $95,000. The state appealed and an appeals court agreed that the plane should be confiscated, according to court records. Eventually, the case reached the Alaska Supreme Court. The court agreed with the state that confiscating the plane did not violate the excessive fines clause of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. 'We hold, as a matter of law, that the owner of the airplane failed to establish that forfeiture would be unconstitutionally excessive,' the Alaska Supreme Court concluded. The plane is no longer in Mr. Jouppi's possession and its fate was not immediately clear. Robert John, Mr. Jouppi's lawyer, said that he and his client will seek to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. 'When they took my plane, I was forced into retirement,' Mr. Jouppi said on Friday. 'You spend a lot of sleepless nights. It hasn't been a pleasant experience at all.' In an email on Friday, Donald Soderstrom, the assistant attorney general for the office of criminal appeals, called the State Supreme Court's decision 'reasonable even when limited to one six-pack.' 'Alcohol abuse has been a problem in Alaska for many years, including in rural communities that are off the road system and are accessible primarily by air,' he said. Mr. Jouppi, who is Finnish, said he remains steadfast in his attempt to get his case heard by the country's highest court. 'I don't know if you're familiar with the Finnish people,' he said, 'but we're awful damn stubborn.'
